Maddened by the Stars
by Nellie Potter
Summary: So my dad just moved me here to this stupid little town. Not too bad I suppose, things could be worse. Then my dad gets a girlfriend. Okay, things still could be worse. His new girlfriend? Regina Mills. No, things could not be worse. My name? Todd, Jamie Todd. -First in the Stars series- AU *please review!*
1. Chapter 1

**I recently fell absolutely in love with Once Upon a Time and couldn't resist publishing this. Yes, technically it should be under a Sweeney Todd and OUAT crossover, but it's more of OUAT. For those of you who have read Demon Daughter of Fleet Street, or any one of my Jamie Todd stories, you're in for a pleasant surprise XD**

**Okay, so I somehow accidently deleted this. So here's a repost. Nothing's changed and there is going to be no time in Fairytale land because Jamie and Ben aren't fairytale characters.**

* * *

"I hate you."

"I know."

"I'm never speaking to you again."

"I figured."

Jamie Todd huffed as she crossed her arms. It annoyed her that she wasn't getting much of a reaction out of her father, Benjamin. She loathed him more than anything at the moment. He had done the worst possible thing to her. He made her pack up her things and move. Not houses though, oh no. Moving houses would've been too easy. No, Benjamin decided to make her move countries!

"How could you do this to me?" Jamie asked, sneering as she crossed her arms and put her feet up on the dashboard of the new car. "I mean seriously, what father moves his daughter from London to Maine?"

Benjamin sighed. "Jamie," he began, sounding a bit stern. "I'd like to remind you that you were born in America."

That was the other thing about Jamie's life that she hated: she was adopted. Born in Florida, her parents died when she was very young. She was raised by her brother, Cole for a long while until he died as well from gas poisoning. Immediately, Social Services took action and Jamie was tossed into the orphanage. And then the Todds came into her life. Jamie had never been so happy. They treated her like she was their own. Jamie adored her new mother, Nellie, and always had a good time palling around with Ben.

Then came the divorce. Ben and Nellie kept telling Jamie that it wasn't her fault, but Jamie knew it was. She heard their conversations at night, when they thought she was asleep. Their arguments were always about her, how things had been rocky ever since the adoption. Ever since hearing that, Jamie hated being adopted.

"Yeah, born in Florida," Jamie pointed out. "Not freakin' Maine. Where the hell is the house anyway?"

"Watch your language," Benjamin warned. "And it's in a nice little town called Storybrooke."

Jamie scoffed in disgust. "Storybrooke?" she asked in disbelief. _What the hell kind of a name is that? _Jamie pulled out her cell phone and started texting her cousin, Johanna. She and Johanna were really close, just like how close Jamie was to Johanna's brother, Toby. It was as if the three of them were all siblings instead of just Johanna and Toby being Jamie's cousins. And now Jamie probably would never see them again.

Both of the Todds in the car remained silent for the rest of the ride to their new home. As they drove through the town, Jamie couldn't help but notice the looks some of the passersby gave them. It was as if they had never seen a stranger before. Rolling her eyes, Jamie turned her full attention back to her phone. Finally, after what felt like hours and hours in the car from the airport, Ben finally pulled in front of a pristine white house with faded baby blue shutters. Benjamin got out of the car and opened the door for Jamie. "Here we are," he announced proudly.

Jamie grumbled as she got out of the car. Already she hated the place. The teen was starting to get extremely annoyed with the fact that Benjamin got custody of her. She was angry with Nellie for not fighting harder to keep her. "Great," Jamie said sarcastically as she walked around to get her suitcases out of the trunk of the car. "Kill me now," she muttered bitterly, brushing past Benjamin and heading up to the front door. Ben followed behind and unlocked the door when he reached it.

The inside was empty and the wood floors had a thin layer of dust on them. Rapidly, Jamie raced up the stairs to claim her room. That was the only thing she looked forward to: claiming the best room. As it turned out, the best bedroom to have was a bit of a win/lose scenario. On one hand, it was a large room that even had a lot of closet space and such a nice view out the window. On the other hand, it was one of those bedrooms that were located where an attic would be. With a groan of complaint, Jamie dropped her suitcase on the floor.

"Found a room yet?" Ben shouted from all the way downstairs near the front door.

"Yes!" Jamie shouted back, heading back down the stairs. "The room at the very tip-top is mine. Don't touch it," she warned, walking past Ben. "I'm going out for a walk, scope out the place and shit."

"Language Jamie," Ben warned again. This warning was met with Jamie rolling her eyes and muttering: "Whatever." Soon, his fourteen year old adopted daughter was out of the door.

It was dark and dreary and it reminded Jamie of home. At least the weather wasn't that much different than from how it was at her home on Fleet Street. She would have to tell Johanna and Toby everything there was to hate about the place.

As Jamie wandered, she did come across some rather interesting sights. The cemetery for one thing; it wasn't far off from the house, only around the corner. Jamie always felt calmed at the cemetery, as if sensing that the dead were at peace there.

Jamie paused her walking as she stood in front of a strange looking shop, a pawn shop of sorts that was owned by a man named… Mr. Gold? Curious, Jamie sauntered into the shop. It was dark despite all of the shimmering objects made of gold, silver, and so on. The whole place was probably worth a fortune!

"May I help you dearie?" a voice questioned, startling Jamie. The fourteen year old turned around quickly to face a man who was obviously Mr. Gold. His gaze wasn't exactly welcoming and Jamie felt a chill go down her spine.

After Jamie regained her bearings, she stuttered, "Oh, uh, no, I was um, just l-looking around." Nervously, Jamie bit her lower lip as she felt Mr. Gold scrutinizing her.

Mr. Gold offered a friendly (false) smile. "Well, if there's anythin' you need dearie, just let me know." And he disappeared into the back room. Jamie studied the doorway covered by a curtain that Mr. Gold had disappeared behind. She didn't get a good feeling about that guy.

Jamie explored the shop, careful not to break anything or even touch anything. It all looked so delicate, as if the slightest breath would shatter everything into a million pieces. Jamie found herself hardly breathing because of that played out in her head. And then the door to the shop slammed open.

There stood a woman with short, dark hair and rather menacing eyes. Jamie froze. This place was just filled with scary looking people, wasn't it? Another reason to complain, Jamie thought. The woman narrowed her eyes on Jamie. "And who are you?"

Jamie held her ground, crossing her arms. "Jamie Todd," she answered.

The woman stepped a bit closer to Jamie, and still the teen did not move nor did she falter. "I haven't seen you around town before." Jamie was starting to dislike this woman already.

"I'm new here. I just moved here with my dad, from London," Jamie explained.

Much to Jamie's surprise, the woman smiled. Well, it was leaning more towards a smirk than a smile. "Well, in that case, Jamie, I'm Regina Mills," the mayor introduced herself.

Jamie eyed Regina suspiciously. "Pleasure to meet you Ms. Mills."

"And you as well Miss Todd. Welcome to Storybrooke."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay, chapter two already! No reviews yet, but that's okay with me. I will just let you readers know that reviews help this process go quicker since it helps when I know that at least some people like this story. Updates will be erratic though. Enjoy this next chapter!**

**I apologize for any OOCness**

* * *

Mr. Gold reappeared the next moment. "Ah, Madam Mayor," he greeted. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Regina brushed past Jamie and walked over to Mr. Gold. "You and I have certain… business to discuss." She glanced over to Jamie, disappointed to still see her there. The so-called "business" she wanted to discuss could not be spoken of out loud with a stranger there with them.

Mr. Gold smirked. This was just the opportunity he wanted to push Regina towards the edge of her breaking point. "I'm sure whatever we discuss, Miss Todd here won't repeat. Isn't that right dearie?" he asked Jamie.

The teen, who hadn't been paying attention, whipped around to face Regina and Mr. Gold. "What?" she questioned, wondering what she had missed. All that she knew was the Mr. Gold had something (she didn't know what) to her.

That was just the response Mr. Gold wanted. "Nothing dearie, nothing at all," he assured Jamie and looked back to Regina. "See? Nothing to worry about." His grin was a devious one.

Regina opened her mouth to retort, but was stopped by the sound of someone else entering the shop. "There you are!" a male voice said. Regina turned and saw a tall, pale man with jet black hair and haunting eyes. She at first thought that he had been speaking to her, and then he stepped over to Jamie. "I was wondering where you went."

Jamie huffed, rolling her eyes. "I told you I was going for a walk," she pointed out, crossing her arms. "It's not like I walked out of town or anything. Ease up on the father-figure persona."

Benjamin slightly glared at Jamie. His daughter's attitude was really beginning to get on his nerves. "I don't appreciate your tone Little Miss," he said sternly.

What Benjamin had said aggravated Jamie; she hated it when he called her "Little Miss." After getting in trouble so many times, Jamie was called "Little Miss" a lot. The nickname stuck and now she was called that whether she was in trouble or not. This just happened to be the one of the times she was in trouble.

Regina, not wanting anymore of her time being wasted because of the two newcomers, cleared her throat. "Uh, I don't meant to intrude, but is there a problem?" She smiled as sweetly as she could without overdoing it.

Benjamin looked to Regina and was caught slightly off guard. "Uh… no, no there isn't," he said quickly, running a hand through his messy hair. Jamie opened her mouth to argue, but Benjamin elbowed her before she could get a word out. "Sorry if we were interrupting something. Todd, Benjamin Todd," he introduced himself, and shook hands with Regina.

"You're Jamie's father," Regina stated, quickly glancing to Jamie.

"And you're the mayor of this nice little town," Benjamin pointed out with a chuckle. "Now that introductions are over, I apologize for any trouble my daughter has caused."

Jamie narrowed her eyes. "Why do you always think that I'm the one to cause trouble?"

"Because you always cause trouble," Benjamin retorted. Jamie made a face and Benjamin laughed quietly, ruffling Jamie's dark brown hair. Jamie pulled away from Ben's touch, rolling her eyes.

"Dad," she whined. "You can't keep treating me like a little kid anymore. I'm fourteen!"

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Fourteen?" she questioned.

Jamie nodded for verification. "Yeah, I'm fourteen; why does it matter?"

Regina smiled. She was getting really good at her fake smiles. "Oh it doesn't really matter. It's just that I have a son who's not that much younger than you. My son, Henry, he's ten."

But Jamie didn't really care. She acted as if she did, just to be polite. "Oh really, a ten year old son." Jamie looked to Benjamin, her expression telling him that this was indeed interesting. She knew that look in his eyes. He used to look at Nellie like that… Benjamin didn't notice Jamie's look and she rolled her eyes. "If you three will excuse me," she muttered bitterly, beginning to leave the shop. "It was nice meeting you two," she added as she started to walk out the door, referring to Regina and Mr. Gold, even though she didn't really mean it.

Mr. Gold's eyes flashed with mischief as he watched Jamie go. He always knew when there was a soul in need, whether it is to get something, or get rid of something…

* * *

Jamie sat at the top of the slide at the playground she had discovered. Her knees were hugged to her chest as she stared off into space. As far as Jamie knew, there was no one else at the playground. She was completely off on that theory.

Just around the corner sat Henry Mills, reading his fairytale book. He too didn't notice that there was someone else at the playground.

"Hey kid," Emma greeted, hands shoved in the pockets of her red, leather jacket. "Still reading that book?"

Henry looked up at Emma and nodded. "Yeah, I am." He returned to his reading. Henry wanted to get all of the pieces of information together, wanted it all to make sense. So it seemed that the Evil Queen made a deal with Prince Charming's "father" to get rid of Snow White. He was still disappointed in Emma for not believing him about The Curse.

Emma sighed quietly and looked around. She wished it was sunny out. Here in Storybrooke, it was always so gloomy. While looking around, Emma noticed an unfamiliar face. "Henry, do you know who that is?"

Henry looked up from his book to see what Emma was talking about. He saw Jamie sitting at the top of the playground. His brow furrowed in confusion. "No, I don't," he answered, setting aside his book and standing up. He wanted to know who the stranger was. Henry had certainly never seen her in his book. What fairytale was she?

"Uh, 'scuse me," Henry said quietly, climbing up the playground and standing behind Jamie at the slide.

Jamie turned to see Henry, not knowing that he was the mayor's kid. "What, you wanna go down the slide? Fine," she muttered, standing up and getting out of the way.

Henry grinned boyishly. "No, I was just wondering what your name was and where you came from." He made the statement sound so innocent and nonchalant, that Jamie at first didn't think she heard him correctly.

"Uh, Todd," Jamie responded. "Jamie Todd and I just moved here with my dad from London."

Henry frowned slightly. "Funny, you don't sound British," he pointed out.

Jamie sighed; that's what everyone said. "I was born in Florida; adopted," she elaborated.

The ten year old grinned faintly. "Really, me too!" At least he wasn't the only one in this town that was adopted. It still bothered him though; not knowing who this girl was exactly. He had read through the book a thousand times and never once came across a character that would be Jamie.

Jamie was feeling a little relieved to have something in common with at least one person in Storybrooke. In fact, this kid seemed alright. He wasn't too nosy but asked the right questions. "Well that's… cool, I suppose. What's your name kid?"

Kid, why did everyone call him kid, Henry wondered. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was cut off by the sound of his adoptive mother. "Henry," Regina said calmly as she stepped closer to the playground. "I don't recall saying that you could spend time with Ms. Swan." Her arms were crossed in a disapproving manner. She didn't even notice Jamie.

Emma stepped up behind Regina. "Actually Madam Mayor, I was just making sure Henry stayed safe since he was out here all by himself for a little while."

Regina turned to face the Sheriff and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying that I don't take good care of my son?"

"No, I'm implying that you don't take good care of _my_ son," Emma retorted, taking another step closer to Regina. It was a stare down between the two of them, and Jamie found herself watching with interest. Henry though, was avoiding looking at his both of his mothers at all costs.

Regina sighed. "I can see this dispute going nowhere Ms. Swan," she confessed, not exactly easing up on her harsh tone. She did however, surrender for now. All she wanted was to see Henry happy. "Fine, I'll allow you half an hour with him."

Henry perked up and quickly got off the playground by means of using the slide. He happily left with Emma, not even saying goodbye to Regina. The brunette sighed as she turned slowly to face the playground once more. It was then that she finally noticed Jamie. "Miss Todd, fancy meeting you here."

Jamie did all that she could to not glare. "Yeah, s'pose so," she mumbled, taking out her cell phone as it began to ring. "Hello?" she said, and Regina could just barely hear the voice of the other person on the line. "Oh hi Mum. Yes I'm fine. Yes the drive was long. Yes I picked out my room. No, Dad's not here." Jamie paused in her talking to let Eleanor speak. Jamie made a face of boredom as she listened. Her mother really did know how to talk someone's ear off. Suddenly, Jamie pulled the phone away from her ear as her mother started shouting.

Regina couldn't help but watch this with slight interest. This scene somewhat reminded her something that would happen in an old nineties television show. Jamie's reaction to her mother shouting through the phone looked a bit theatrical.

"Bloody 'ell Mum, settle down. I wandered off on me own cos I wanted to. Dad ain't bein' irresponsible," Jamie protested, going off into a Cockney accent. It was a habit she had picked up from Nellie, who always talked in a Cockney accent; it just became stronger when she was upset. Jamie rolled her eyes as she listened to her mother some more. "I've gotta go Mum," Jamie said in a bored tone. She hung up the phone when Nellie was in the middle of talking. With a sigh, Jamie got down off of the playground by means of the slide.

"That was your mother I assume?" Regina asked as Jamie walked past her. There really was no question about it though. However, it did get Jamie's attention; the teen snapped her gaze to Regina as she glared daggers.

"My mother's been dead for three years," Jamie responded darkly, her hands balling into fists. She then stormed away, leaving a stunned Regina Mills behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I know that Jamie may be acting a little OOC for those of you who know her character, so hopefully this chapter will explain why.**

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Jamie almost kicked open the door of her new house; she was so angry! How dare that mayor interfere with her life? What made her life Regina's business? Fuming, Jamie ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door shut. She didn't even realize that Benjamin hadn't even returned home from Mr. Gold's shop.

Benjamin and Mr. Gold were discussing business since it was Mr. Gold that owned Storybrooke. Benjamin needed a job and didn't wish to work for another person. Besides, he had an idea for a business of his own. All he needed was to sign a contract with Mr. Gold to open up a building for his barber shop. Benjamin was considered the best barber in London and wanted to keep up that reputation, but instead change it to the best barber of Storybrooke.

After pulling her iPod out of her suitcase, Jamie put the earphones in her ear and blasted her music. She lay down on the floor since she had no proper bed just yet. Benjamin mentioned to her that the mattress would be delivered later that day and the bed frame tomorrow. The floor quickly became uncomfortable and Jamie stood up, brushing off her dark jeans. She turned off her iPod and went downstairs to watch television. She groaned in disappointment as she saw that there was no television. The house was practically empty except for what she and Benjamin had brought, like kitchen utensils, blankets, pillows, and other simple necessities. Benjamin returned home the next moment, Mr. Gold in tow while holding the contract.

"Jamie, you're home," Benjamin stated, a little stunned. He'd think this was the last place his daughter would want to be.

"There's nothing else to do in this stupid town." Jamie ignored the fact that Mr. Gold was right there and could hear every comment she made about the town he owned. It didn't bother him that much though. His son, Baelfire, had gone through the phase of hating a lot of things just to get on the nerves of adults; Gold knew how to handle these things.

Stepping up next to Benjamin, Mr. Gold said, "I beg to differ, Miss Todd." He gave a sly smile. "There are plenty of things to do in this town. You just have to know where to look." Mr. Gold winked at Jamie and she avoided his gaze. This man was really starting to weird her out, which was saying something since Jamie wasn't easily creeped out.

Suddenly, Benjamin's watch started beeping. He looked to see the time: twelve-thirty pm. "Uh, Jamie," he said, pointing to his watch. Jamie sighed and turned away from the two men to head off up to her room.

Mr. Gold watched this happen with interest. His mind was reeling as he began to wonder what it was that needed to happen at twelve-thirty. He asked no questions though as he followed Benjamin into the kitchen. He laid the contract on the island counter and handed the pen to Benjamin. "So, if you just sign your name here Mr. Todd, the building will be yours. For a price of course," he added. Everything came with a price after all.

Benjamin nodded slightly in understanding. "Yes, the rent. Five hundred dollars a month, right?" Mr. Gold nodded, confirming. Benjamin grinned faintly, taking the pen. "You have yourself a deal then, Mr. Gold," Ben said, signing his name with a flourish.

"Well Mr. Todd, I thank you for your business," Mr. Gold said as he and Benjamin shook hands to make the agreement official. Benjamin then showed him to the door. Jamie reappeared from her bedroom in time to see Mr. Gold leave. She smiled and waved goodbye, just to be polite. That and she now felt happier than before.

Benjamin sighed quietly as he shut the door. He faced Jamie and grinned faintly. "Feeling better?" he asked her.

Jamie nodded. "Much better," she said. "I just wish the medicine wasn't so constant. I mean, every five hours? It's so annoying!" Jamie complained, but had a hint of teasing in her voice. Benjamin mentally sighed in relief; his daughter was back to her normal self.

"Uh, Jamie, there's something I've got to tell you. We'll be having company over for dinner tonight," Benjamin confessed.

Jamie nodded in understanding. "Okay. What are we having for dinner?" The fact that other people would be over didn't bother like it would've only an hour before. When Benjamin told her that they would be having pizza, Jamie grinned broadly. "Brilliant! Okay, I'm going to start unpacking and what not. The closet is huge!" she said excitedly, heading back up to her room to unpack and hang up some of her clothes.

A few hours passed and some of the furniture was delivered. Jamie got her mattress, a few chairs were brought over, and even a couch. The rest would be coming during the week. As Jamie and Benjamin set up the house, they talked and laughed and finally collapsed on the couch in exhaustion from moving heavy furniture around. Just as soon as they settled down though, the doorbell rang. Jamie looked to Ben, her gaze asking him if he wanted her to answer the door or not. Ben nodded and Jamie jumped up from the couch.

She straightened out her shirt, hoping it was the pizza being delivered. She was so hungry! Instead of pizza though, Jamie got an unexpected surprise. "Madam Mayor?" she asked in disbelief.

Regina smiled warmly at Jamie, despite their earlier encounter. She kept a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Miss Todd, fancy seeing you again."

Jamie glanced to Henry for a second and then kept her eyes trained on Regina. "Yeah, fancy that…" she said slowly, stepping aside from the door. "Won't you come in?" Her brow was furrowed in confusion. These people couldn't possibly be the company that Benjamin had told her about earlier, right?

Benjamin appeared the next second, grinning broadly. "Regina, so glad you could come over," he said, and then looked down to Henry. "And you must be Henry."

Henry nodded, studying Benjamin. He had no idea what fairytale characters either of the Todds could be.

Slowly, Jamie shut the door and went to stand beside Benjamin. It was somewhat strange to her, what she was feeling right now. When she had first met Regina, she disliked the woman greatly. Now Jamie was feeling completely fine around her. Then again, that was before Jamie took the medication. Right on schedule, Benjamin's watch started beeping: five-thirty pm. "Jamie," he said quietly and Jamie headed off to the bathroom where she put the bottle of pills.

After swallowing the pills, Jamie stared at herself in the mirror, wondering who was staring back at her. Who was this person she had become? Jamie hardly recognized the girl in the mirror. Sighing, Jamie left the bathroom to rejoin the group. When she found everyone in the living room, she saw that the pizza had come too.

Before everyone started eating, Regina excused herself to go freshen up. Once in the bathroom, Regina locked the door and looked around. It was a decent sized bathroom and had an elegant design. The Todds had nice taste it seemed, or at least Benjamin had. The marble countertop complimented the crème colored walls. There was something on the countertop though, that caught Regina's attention: a bright orange pill bottle.

Curious, Regina picked up the bottle and upon reading it, everything made sense to her, at least concerning Jamie's attitude. On the bottle was Jamie's name along with the label: venlafaxine. In her hand, Regina held the bottle of Jamie's depression medication.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone was seated either on the couch or around the coffee table, the pizza box, now practically empty, in the middle of it all. During the little dinner event, Jamie and Henry talked… a lot. It was mostly about what they liked to do in their free time. Jamie found out about Henry's slight obsession with fairytales, though the boy had been careful not to confess anything about Operation Cobra. He was also careful not to mention his suspicions of Regina being the Evil Queen.

Jamie was lying on her back on the floor, arms resting behind her head. "Okay… favorite… television show?" she asked.

This took Henry a few moments to think about since he wasn't allowed to watch a lot of television. "Um, SpongeBob," he answered with a grin. "What about you?"

It took Jamie no time at all to answer. "Family Guy." This answer caught Benjamin's attention of course. He looked over to his daughter.

"You watch Family Guy?" he questioned in disbelief. He had actually been convinced that Jamie hated that show with a burning passion. "I thought you didn't like that show? I recall you always telling me how idiotic it was."

Jamie laughed. "Yeah, it is idiotic. I still watch it though because the idiocy amuses me," she reasoned, sitting up from the floor to look at Ben. She grinned cockily and Benjamin playfully rolled his eyes.

"What else don't I know about you?" Benjamin asked.

Regina watched this happen with interest. She felt herself become a bit jealous of the relationship between Jamie and Benjamin. They seemed to get along rather well, whereas she and Henry didn't have the best affiliation.

"Hm… I am recently going through a phase where I hate peanut butter, love orange juice, can't stand romance movies, and will watch anything scary just for a laugh," Jamie listed out on her fingers. She glanced between Ben and Regina, who were sitting beside each other on the couch. "Oh yeah, and I'm quite attracted to chaste silver, but that you already knew."

Ever since Jamie had seen one of Benjamin's straight razors, she fell in love with the purity of their silver. They glistened and gleamed and were so beautiful. Benjamin and Jamie shared a smile; they both found the silver to be handsome. "Speaking of which…" Jamie trailed off as she headed up to her bedroom. Jamie returned to the group moments later, holding a wooden box. "Remember how in the car you kept complaining about how you forgot your razors?"

Benjamin nodded as he took the box when Jamie handed it to him. Upon opening it, he saw that all of his precious razors were resting in the box. "You brought them," he said quietly in gratefulness. He looked up to meet eyes with Jamie, who merely shrugged.

"You're always forgetting things, so I decided not to let these but one of those you forget," she explained, sitting back down on the floor. "Besides, Mum would've sold them as soon as she realized you left them."

"How did you ever find these?" Benjamin took one of the razors out of the box, holding it gently as he watched it glint in the light.

Jamie looked at Benjamin incredulously. "Seriously? Dad, you kept them hidden under the floorboard of your shop. It was only too easy." Benjamin had to keep the razors hidden so Nellie wouldn't take them out from under his nose.

Benjamin stood up and stepped over to Jamie, kissing her on the top of the head. She grimaced, but a faint smile showed through the grimace. "Oh and by the way Jamie, you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"What?" Jamie groaned in complaint. She hated going to the doctor's office. "Why tomorrow? We just got here today. When did you find the time to schedule an appointment?"

Benjamin waved off Jamie's questioning. "Doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is that you have an appointment at two-thirty."

Jamie again groaned in complaint. Of all the things she didn't want to do was have a doctor examine her. She already knew what was wrong with her; she didn't need another doctor other than her usual doctor to tell her that she was suffering from depression and needed venlafaxine. Benjamin chuckled, finding Jamie's actions quite amusing since she was being overdramatic as usual. She now lay on the floor, arms crossed like a mummy as she acted as if she were dead. "I can't go; I died."

"Now come on Jamie, everyone has to go every now and then," Ben reminded Jamie. "Uh, but there's something else; you see, I have to meet Mr. Gold to go to the building that's going to be the new shop so we can discuss what changes I can and can't make, which means I have to drop you off at the doctor's office and I may run a little late picking you up."

Jamie sat up and narrowed her eyes on Benjamin. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" When Benjamin shook his head, Jamie crossed her arms. "So you're going to leave me at one of the scariest places on earth for a few _hours_?"

"No of course not," Ben assured Jamie. He placed a hand on Regina's knee. "Regina's offered to pick you up since she has to drop Henry off somewhere along the way anyway.

Jamie's line of sight jumped from Benjamin to Regina. The two held each other's gaze for what seemed like years before Jamie finally sighed in defeat and said, "Alright fine." She wasn't exactly happy about the idea, especially considering that Regina was practically a stranger, but she was the mayor of this town and it was only too obvious that Ben liked her. Jamie was a little nervous that she and Regina would have a row if they were in the same car, and when Jamie got angry, she got insanely upset. But Jamie figured so long as she took her pills, she would be fine since depression was the main cause for her issues.

'"'"'"''''''"''

The doctor's appointment went a lot faster than Jamie expected. It just a quick check-up and Jamie was given the prescription for a new bottle of venlafaxine. So Jamie now waited in the waiting room for Regina to come and pick her up.

"Miss Todd," Regina said when she saw the teen. Henry stepped out from behind Regina upon seeing Jamie. He studied her. All of the last night he had been up, trying to figure out what character in his book she could be. He read and reread the book a thousand times more but still found nothing. Was it possible that Jamie had been involved in the last pages of the book that Emma had burned? It would explain why he couldn't find her.

Jamie looked up to meet the eyes of Regina. Her gaze fell on Henry and she smiled. "Hey," she greeted, standing up and sauntering over to the two. "Please get me out of here before I go insane," she joked. She followed Regina out of the place, Henry walking beside her.

In the car, Jamie and Henry chatted nonstop in the backseat. The time flew by and before Henry knew it, he was walking up to the door of his therapist's office. Jamie decided to stay in the car and she moved up to the front seat.

When Regina came back from leaving Henry with Archie, Jamie asked, "Why does he need therapy? He seems perfectly normal to me."

Regina sighed, starting up the car. "He thinks everyone here is a fairytale character," she informed Jamie. Regina decided it best to leave out the part that Henry thought her to be the Evil Queen, even though it was true that she was.

Jamie frowned slightly as she kept her eyes trained on the outside of the therapist's office. "Hm, interesting," was all she said, and Jamie remained silent for the remainder of the ride back to her new home.

* * *

**A/N: Yay another quick update! Thanks for the review. I saw that over a hundred people have at least read chapter one of this story and that makes me really happy! You know what would make me happier? Reviews XD Just a suggestion...**

**Updates for this story are now going to be erratic since the weekend is over. I'll do my best to update again by the end of the week though**


	5. Chapter 5

When Regina pulled into a driveway, Jamie looked up to see that it was not the driveway of her new home. Jamie stared at the lavish white house that belonged to Regina in confusion. "Where are we?" Jamie asked Regina, who had started getting out of the car.

"Your dad wanted me to keep an eye on you," Regina said as she got out of the car; Jamie followed suit. "I have some things to handle so it'd be easier if we came back to my home." Regina led the way through the front door and into foyer.

Jamie looked around, mildly impressed. "Nice place you got here," she complimented. Idly, she stuck her hand in her pocket to make sure that the prescription slip was still safely tucked away. She couldn't lose it! Regina noticed this and smirked. She however didn't make it obvious that she took notice.

"Thank you Miss Todd. Now, the living room is just through that entryway." Regina motioned loosely to her left. "Would you care for anything to drink? How about I get you a glass of the best apple cider you'll ever taste." Regina smiled warmly, taking Jamie into the kitchen.

"Got anything stronger, like gin?" the teen asked, half joking but mostly serious. Regina laughed faintly, grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets.

"You're father warned me about your sense of humor." Regina got a glass jug of homemade apple cider out of the refrigerator.

Jamie raised her eyebrows. "He did? Funny, I don't remember having much of a sense of humor. I mean every word I say unless I take it back later because karma came and bit me in the ass." Jamie wandered over to Regina's side, watching the glass fill up with cider as Regina poured it. "Thanks," she muttered, taking the glass and a small sip.

Regina smiled as she saw Jamie's face give a look of satisfaction. "So Miss Todd, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Regina's question was met with a blank stare from Jamie. "I thought you said you had 'things to handle,'" the teen pointed out, taking another sip from the cider._ Damn, this cider is good,_ Jamie thought to herself.

"Is it too much trouble to answer a question?" Regina replied with a smirk.

"Touché Madam Mayor; it's no trouble at all. Only if you answer a question of mine in return, since everything comes with a price." Jamie gave a wicked grin and Regina felt herself stiffen slightly. She knew that saying well since Mr. Gold said it a number of times before. The mayor started to wonder if there was a connection between Jamie and Mr. Gold. Regina was aching with curiosity to know who Jamie truly was. She knew who everyone had become in this world, except for Jamie and Benjamin.

Regina huffed quietly. "Very well Miss Todd. And what is your question?"

"Are you going to say yes?"

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "Say yes to what?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "To my dad; I know he asked you out. I'm fourteen, not an idiot. He asked you out on a date and I want to know if you said yes." In truth, Jamie was scared for the answer. Regina was… odd and a stranger. Jamie didn't quite like her for a reason she couldn't exactly put her finger on.

Regina did not answer right away. She stared at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. Henry was a lot easier to talk to. Then again, he was her ten year old son. Regina looked up to meet the nonjudgmental eyes of Jamie Todd. "Yes," she said laconically.

Jamie took a deep breath, forcing herself to accept this answer. It wasn't like there was anything she could do about it. "Fine; my name is Jamie Todd, I was born in Florida and lived a happy life with my parents and brother. Then they died and I went to an orphanage. The Todds picked me out, life was never better, now they're divorced and life sucks again. But I guess you learn to live with it." Jamie said it all so calmly and took another sip of cider when she was done spinning her short tale.

Surprisingly, Regina found herself listening to Jamie, not just hearing. She felt a hint of sympathy for Jamie, especially because she knew about the depression problem. Regina found herself at a loss for words momentarily. Yet she could partially relate to Jamie in the sense that they both had lost their parents. "Yes, I suppose you do," Regina said absentmindedly.

Both were silent for a long while before Regina cleared her throat. "Well, I must tend to some things. Feel free to watch television or… whatever it is you do." And Regina left quickly.

Jamie's eyes followed Regina as the woman left. She narrowed her eyes slightly in thought. Regina was definitely an odd person and Jamie wondered what her father saw in her. Shrugging, Jamie finished off her apple cider and wandered around the house. It was quite grand and Jamie liked it. She would've chosen a different color scheme though, like neon colors… The sudden loud noise of her cell phone ringing made Jamie jump a bit. While she breathed deeply to regulate her heartbeat again, Jamie took her phone out of her pocket and looked to see who was calling her. Jamie grinned brightly and gladly answered. "Aunt Lucy!"

"Hello Jamie love, and how are you doing in America?" Jamie's Aunt Lucy, Benjamin's sister, asked.

Jamie laughed in delight. "I'm doing fine thank you. And how's everyone over there? How's Mum? How's Johanna and Toby? How's Uncle Jonathon?"

Lucy Turpin shook her head and chuckled. Her niece was quite the talker. "Everyone is fine and they all say hi."

Upon hearing Jamie talking to someone, Regina stopped her working and paused outside the threshold of the living room that Jamie had wandered into. She listened to the teen laugh and smile brightly. It was hard to tell that this was the same Jamie that she had spoken to at the playground the day before.

"God, it's awfully boring here! I have made about one friend and he's a freakin' ten year old boy. Dad's found a shop, gonna become a barber again. Yes, I got his razors before Mum could. It's all set."

Regina could hear the faint sound of Lucy Turpin talking while Jamie listened, still not noticing Regina was there. "Yes, I got my medication," she said quietly. "I'm… coping, I suppose. It's not easy at all. New town, new doctor. No, no one knows and no one's gonna know. Not in this town."

Jamie listened for a few more minutes to Aunt Lucy. "Alright then," she sighed. "Love you too Aunt Lucy, bye. Jamie hung up her cell phone and turned to face the threshold, to face Regina. "Regina," Jamie breathed in surprise.

Regina smirked. "Keeping secrets are we, Miss Todd?"

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**A/N: I felt kind of bad for not going to be able to update until about Friday night this week, so here we go, two updates in one day. Reviews will make the writing and updating process go quicker though. See that Review button? Click it! How about a deal since I'm feeling in a Rumplestiltskin kind of mood. I will update if I get two or more reviews for this story. Though if we don't reach that goal by the end of the week, I'll update anyway. I want to try to keep my updates weekly no matter what.**


	6. Chapter 6

Jamie's eyes were wide as she stared at Regina. Her heart was slightly racing as she breathed deeply. It would have just been easier to confess right then and there about her depression problem, but Jamie didn't want to. People back in London knew and there were times when Jamie was teased about it. She wanted to keep it under wraps here, be treated as if she had no problem.

"Well, Miss Todd?" Regina looked at Jamie expectantly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jamie responded, trying not to stammer. "I have nothing to hide Madam Mayor." Jamie's posture was straight as she remained calm, cool, and collected.

Regina smirked, taking a few steps towards Jamie. "Is that so? Then I suppose you won't mind telling me what that prescription in your pocket says. Or is it still venlafaxine?"

_Play dumb, Todd, _Jamie told herself. It was the only option she had left. But what was the use in continuing to lie? "I seriously don't know what you're talking about," Jamie insisted, sounding rather convincing. But having been the Evil Queen and dealt with a number of liars in her life time, Regina saw right through the lie. Upon noticing that Regina had come closer, Jamie took one step away. She did not like this situation at all.

"Oh come now, Miss Todd. Don't think I don't know about your depression."

When she heard that, Jamie looked down to the ground, as if ashamed. The whole while she was thinking: damn it! When Regina saw Jamie suddenly look so… weak, her expression softened. She may have been the Evil Queen, but she was first and foremost a mother. "Jamie," she said firmly. "Show me your wrists." Her tone told Jamie that it was a command, not an option.

Jamie looked at Regina incredulously. "Do you honestly believe that I would do such a thing? I may be depressed, by I am not so self destructive as to mutilate myself," she argued, crossing her arms.

"Let me see your wrists," Regina repeated, more sternly this time.

Jamie rolled her eyes. She wasn't lying when she said she had nothing to hide. The teen rolled up the sleeves of her zip-up sweatshirt and revealed her clean, unscathed wrists. "See? I'm fine. Just need medication, that's all." Jamie unrolled her sleeves and brushed past Regina. "I'm going for a walk. Don't expect me back."

Regina started to follow Jamie out. "Jamie, wait. When you're father comes to pick you up, he expects to see you here with me," she pointed out, but Jamie just ignored her as she walked out of the house and down the sidewalk. Regina huffed. She was not going to follow Jamie and grant the teen the attention she wanted.

As Jamie roamed the streets, she let her mind wander. She hate, hate, hated it here! Her life was none of Regina's business! The woman was not her mother! Jamie knew her thoughts were uncalled for and irrational, but her medication was wearing off and she was fading back into the all too familiar state of depression. Jamie watched the sidewalk as she trudged along the wet pavement. She was beginning to wish that there was sun. And as she wished for sun, she bumped into someone. "Uh, sorry," Jamie apologized absentmindedly. She looked up to meet the eyes of Mr. Gold.

"It's not a problem dearie," he said with a sly smile. "Just make sure you pay more attention next time, yes?"

Jamie nodded, a little stunned. She didn't expect to see the man nor did she expect to quite literally run into him. "Y-yes sir," she stammered. As he walked by her, Jamie suddenly realized something. "Mr. Gold?" Jamie called after the man, who stopped and turned to face her. "I thought you were with my father."

Mr. Gold smirked. So the girl wasn't completely clueless and oblivious after all. "He was dearie. But we finished our business. He's on his way over to Regina's now to come get you I believe."

Jamie looked around to see that she was now nowhere near Regina's home. Had she really been walking around that much? "Damn it," she muttered darkly to herself. Benjamin would be angry with her for leaving Regina's. He would be angry at her for missing her medicine too if she didn't go back right then.

Gold smirked when he saw Jamie's expression. "If you want dearie, you may spend some time in my shop to escape your father and Regina. For a price of course since…"

"Everything comes with a price," Mr. Gold and Jamie said in unison. Mr. Gold stared at her in confusion for a few moments. Jamie acted completely nonchalant though. Mr. Gold's staring was freaking her out a bit though.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Everything comes with a price, that's how it always is with everything. Everyone knows that." Her tone of voice was one of "no-duh." "Anyway, what's your price?" she asked, starting to feel impatient.

Mr. Gold's smirk very clear on his face as he replied, "Nothing too big of course, but if you're going to stay at my shop, you'll be have to put to use." This sounded reasonable enough to Jamie. "This is why if you want to stay at my shop as sort of an escape, then you will work for me."

"For a price of my own," Jamie shot back with a sly grin.

Mr. Gold sighed and wore an expression of boredom. Of course, the other person always wants just one more thing in return. "Which is?"

Jamie's sly grin broadened. "Minimum wage; no way will I be working for free. Sure, your shop provides an escape. But it would do the same job if I were to just walk in and browse. So if I'm going to work for you, I need at least minimum wage. If you don't mind of course, sir," she added with a sweet, fake British accent.

His grip tightened on his cane as he listened to Jamie's words. Cunning, annoying child she was, he could see that already. "Very well Miss Todd. You'll work for me; I provide an escape and minimum wage. Now follow me please." He led the way to his shop, wondering the whole time, like both Regina and Henry, about Jamie's fairytale identity.

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**A/N: Okay, so no reviews last chapter. But that's okay. I said I would update by the end of the week and I did. Reviews please?**


	7. Chapter 7

Benjamin ran a hand through his messy hair before knocking on Regina's door. He hoped everything had gone all right between Regina and Jamie, especially since by now, Jamie's medication would've started to wear off. With nervousness pumping through his veins, Benjamin knocked on the door and smiled when Regina answered. "I hope she wasn't too much of a problem," was the first thing he said with a laugh. His faint smile faltered when he saw Regina looking a bit grim.

"Benjamin," she began slowly, quietly. "Jamie, she's run off. I wish I could tell you where, but she just left. One moment she was here and the next she was gone." Regina pretended to be concerned, but in all honesty, she didn't care that much. Jamie had been somewhat of a brat and didn't deserve the attention she was trying to get.

Benjamin exhaled roughly. "Bloody hell," he muttered darkly. He raised his gaze from the floor to meet Regina's dark eyes. "I'm going to look for her. Feel free to come if you want." His voice was a low mumble as he started to leave to look for his supposedly missing daughter.

'"'"'"'"'""'"''

"Well, for starters, you may polish the silver," Mr. Gold answered dismissively after Jamie asked him what she should do first.

Jamie looked around the shop, eyes widened in disbelief. "All of it?" she asked. More than half of the shop consisted of silver items and trinkets! It also annoyed Jamie a bit that Mr. Gold thought of her as an inexperienced teen. He didn't say it aloud. He didn't have to. It was far from the truth though; she was not inexperienced. Back at home, she worked for a Mr. Archer at a bookshop for many months.

"Yes Miss Todd, all of it," Mr. Gold responded with impatience. "Please," he added. Mr. Gold was well aware of the fact that his saying "please" did nothing unless it was Regina. He always added it as a precaution and a force of habit when he wanted something.

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Jamie agreed with a "Fine." And so, Jamie set to work, polishing the silver. She had only been working fifteen minutes when Regina came into the door, followed by Benjamin. Jamie gasped quietly in surprise and stopped her working immediately. "D-Dad," she stuttered and then narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

Benjamin was in no mood for Jamie's attitude at that point. He started to slip into the familiar feeling of frustration and anger. He had fallen into this state of mind a few times before, though occasionally he felt like the emotion was an old acquaintance of sorts. In a flash, he had Jamie pushed up against the wall, hand practically around her neck, lips back in a sort of snarl. All he was missing was the streak of white in his hair and he would be a spitting image of Sweeney Todd. Jamie hardly reacted, only smirked. "Ahem, somethin' I can do for ya, Mistah T?" she said in an almost exact replication of her adoptive mother's voice with a strong Cockney accent.

Benjamin loosened his grip on Jamie's collar. Regina watched all of this with a faint, rather evil smirk on her countenance. This Benjamin Todd, she was beginning to like him more every passing second. She didn't like him in the way she liked her beloved Daniel. No one would ever replace Daniel. But she could put this Mr. Todd to good use. Regina was not stupid; she knew that the curse would eventually be broken now that Emma Swan had come to town and would not be leaving anytime soon. That was why she needed to prepare, to bring more people on her side now before it was too late.

"Sorry," Ben muttered, stepping away from Jamie. His watch started beeping and he sighed. "Come on, let's go home."

But Jamie wasn't about to leave. She crossed her arms and held her ground. "Can't, I have to finish my shift."

Benjamin looked at Jamie in confusion. "Jamie, you're coming home," he said once more, more firmly. It was a nonnegotiable topic.

Jamie was still tenacious about not leaving. "I can't. I have to finish my shift," she repeated.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Benjamin demanded, slipping back into that demon barber mode. He caught himself though, and went back to being fatherly Benjamin.

Mr. Gold appeared from the back having heard just about every word. "I believe there's a bit of information you're missing Mr. Todd. Your daughter and I have made a deal." Jamie snapped her gaze to Mr. Gold, silently telling him to not tell on her for wanting a place to escape to. Mr. Gold heard the silent message loud and clear. "Jamie here works for me now. A couple hours of the day since it is summer time and there's no school, for minimum wage."

With incredulousness in his eyes, Benjamin turned to Jamie. "And you did this without talking to me first?"

"I worked at the bookshop for Mr. Archer without talking to you first back in London," Jamie reminded Ben with innocence. She hid her triumphant smirk well when Benjamin sighed in what sounded like defeat. She was far off on that theory.

"Well then you quit," he decided for Jamie. The teen stared at him in disbelief. She felt the anger boiling up inside of her. Ben turned to Mr. Gold. "I'm sorry, but she quits. She's not exactly old enough to make certain decisions on her own." He turned his glare to Jamie, who gave him a look that said all too clearly: "what are you looking at me for?" though she knew exactly why.

Mr. Gold acted idle about the whole situation. "Whatever you say Mr. Todd; you are the father after all." He tried not to smirk when he saw Jamie clenching and unclenching her hands into fists. It was a stress managing technique that her old therapist taught her if she didn't have her stress ball around. "But if Miss Todd here should ever want a place to work, even when she's older, she's welcome back." He winked at Jamie, who faintly smiled. Not because she trusted Mr. Gold, because she didn't. She only did that because it was the proper response to show that she was thankful for that little bit of support.

Benjamin thanked Mr. Gold for the offer with proper words and then led Jamie home, disappointment clear on his countenance. "How could you be so stupid Jamie?" he demanded. "You know I don't like you off on your own when it's close to the time you have to take your meds! What if you missed five-thirty and were around sharp objects, huh?"

Why everyone thought she was going to cut herself, Jamie wondered. She wasn't self-destructive, just depressed and angry all of the time. Without a word, Jamie stormed off to her bedroom, snatching her bottle of pills as she passed the bathroom. She slammed her door shut, took her pills and then sat on the bed. The pills didn't feel like they were helping though. In fact, she felt worse. And there on her pillow, was a familiar friend.

A year ago, Jamie expressed her enthusiasm and interest in the art of barbering. She would stay with Ben for hours in his shop, watching him deftly shave his customers, each one leaving happily. He wasn't the best barber in London for nothing. So for her birthday, Benjamin and Nellie gave Jamie a chaste silver straight razor so that perhaps she could "help Ben around the shop," as Nellie had said. Jamie treasured the silver instrument ever since.

And now that silver instrument rest on the edge of her bed from when she unpacked it that morning. It gleamed in the faint light that leaked in from her window, as if saying "Hello!" Slowly, Jamie picked it up.

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**A/N: Yay, an update! Thanks for reading this story! Reviews, please? The more reviews I get, the faster I will update.**


	8. Chapter 8

A therapist's couch, that's where Jamie ended up; she was now staring at the ceiling of Archibald Hopper's office, arms crossed as she lay down on the couch.

"So Jamie," Archie began calmly. "Do you want to tell me why you did it?"

Jamie remained silent.

"Jamie?" Archie said once more, knowing that Jamie wasn't really listening, and she wasn't. She wanted to just go home, home to Fleet Street, in London. She missed wandering upstairs to Ben's shop and watching him shave his customers. Jamie doubted she would ever be allowed to leave the house again.

"I didn't cut myself," Jamie insisted quietly, turning her head to look at Archie. He looked to her like the typical therapist, but with a friendlier disposition.

Archie took this into consideration as he glanced down to his pad of paper and read over his notes. Benjamin had told him that Jamie had indeed cut herself. "Your dad says that you did."

"Yeah, well he lied," Jamie snapped, sitting up and loosely hugging herself as she kept her eyes trained on the floor. It angered her that Ben would lie like that. Sure, he saw her pick up the razor, but he didn't see her mark herself. There had been no evidence that she tarnished her skin. Jamie moved her gaze to meet Archie's and she got the feeling that he didn't exactly believe her. Rolling her eyes, Jamie showed him her wrists. "See? I didn't do anything!" Jamie crossed her arms and huffed, leaning back against the couch. "Is the session over, can I go now?"

Archie cleared his throat and pushed his glasses back into place. "Hm, I see…" he trailed off as he jotted something down on his steno notepad. "And no, the session is not over. We started ten minutes ago and your father wants you hear for at least an hour."

An hour? A whole bloody hour? Jamie narrowed her eyes in annoyance. This was just not a good day for her. So Jamie sat there for an hour, hardly talking, hardly giving away any information. As far as anyone was concerned, her life was none of Archie's business.

Finally, the hour was over and Jamie quickly left the office. Ben was waiting for her outside the door of Archie's office, but Jamie just brushed past him and stormed out of the office.

This was annoying, this was aggravating. She never asked for any of this. She never asked to be a depressed child; she never asked for her birth family to die, she never asked to be adopted. So why did it feel like people thought this was her fault? Why did it feel like Jamie Todd versus The World? What happened to Scott Pilgrim?

"Jamie!" Ben called after the teen that had refused to stop her brisk walk out of the building.

"Playground!" she shouted back, just to let Ben know where she was going. There was no sense in getting grounded for not telling Ben where she was. The last thing Jamie wanted at that point was to be grounded.

In what felt like only a few seconds, Jamie reached the playground. She climbed to the top and sat by the slide. She hugged her knees to her chest and started to cry. There was no sobbing; just silent tears clouded her vision, a few slipping down her cheek. She wanted to go home; she wanted to go home to Nellie and Aunt Lucy and Johanna and Uncle Jonathon and Toby! This was not home, this was Hell.

"Jamie?" a familiar voice said. Jamie looked up to see who had spoken. After wiping her eyes, she saw clearly now. It was Henry. "Why are you crying?"

Jamie crossed her arms. "I'm not crying," she muttered defensively.

"You were," Henry pointed out, sitting beside Jamie and resting his book in his lap.

Jamie shot him a glare, which almost immediately softened. Henry was the closest thing she had to a friend and she didn't want to risk the chance of him being upset with her too. Her gaze lowered and landed on the book in Henry's lap. "What's that?" she asked.

Henry seemed to be actually glad that she asked. "It's a book of fairytales, but it's much, much more than that." This certainly had Jamie intrigued. "You see, the Evil Queen cursed all of the characters in the book and now they're all living here so they couldn't have their happy ending."

That made no sense to Jamie. Perhaps Henry really did need therapy… "Wait, so you mean to tell me that everyone here in Storybrooke was a fairytale character?"

Henry nodded. "Yup. My teacher, Miss Blanchard, is Snow White and my real mom, Emma, is her daughter, The Savior."

Jamie was still a little confused. "Okay…? And who is the Evil Queen?" Jamie had a brief thought that it would be Regina, but quickly pushed that away from her mind. Jamie doubted Henry would accuse his adoptive mother of being the villain.

"My other mom, Regina," Henry answered idly. Of course, Jamie should've seen that coming. And it made sense. The only part that didn't make sense was… everything else. "Oh yeah, and no one remembers that they were fairytale characters. I have a feeling my mom remembers being the Evil Queen." Henry still referred to Regina as his mom out of a force of habit, a habit he wanted to break.

Jamie was having a little trouble believing Henry. It was just too much of a ridiculous idea. Then again, the world was full of ridiculous ideas, for Jamie had a little secret of her own…

"I just can't figure out who you and your dad are," Henry stated, his brow furrowed in thought as he opened his book. "I mean, no offense, but I doubt you were a big character if even I don't know who you were, and I read this book a hundred times."

Jamie shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me… what about you? What character are you?" Jamie found herself starting to believe Henry, partially. There was still that part of her that was skeptical of course. Who wouldn't be?

"I'm not a character," Henry answered.

This gave Jamie an idea. "Well, if you're not a character, who says that, I have to be a character? Or that my dad has to be a character?"

Henry thought over this. It seemed reasonable… "But no one comes to Storybrooke unless they are someone. I'm The Savior's son. You though… you don't seem to be anybody at all."

Oh how wrong Henry was. Jamie was someone, just not someone anyone expected. "Can I tell you a secret Henry?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah, anything." Perhaps whatever Jamie told him would let him know who she was in the fairytale world.

Jamie looked around to make sure they were completely alone. "Henry, I want to let you know that when I say this, I'm not teasing you or making fun of you. What I'm about to say is absolutely and completely true and I need you to believe me. Okay?"

Henry nodded vigorously again.

"My dad," Jamie lowered the volume of her voice to a whisper, "is Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

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**A/N: So I have quite the interesting plot planned out. The more reviews i get, the faster I'll update XD Can we make it to thirteen reviews before my next update? Even if you're not a member of Fanfiction, you can still review this story! **


	9. Chapter 9

I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe Archie recommended this. Why in the hell would I keep a stupid diary? No, it's a journal, not a diary. I will never possess a diary for as long as I live! What am I supposed to even right in this stupid thing? Archie said he would be checking it every now and then so I wouldn't have to talk. Now I refuse to write anything in here.

Fine Archie, you want information? You got it.

Today was boring as hell. No, hell would be more entertaining than today. I did absolutely nothing. Okay, perhaps not "nothing"… I had the worst day of my life so far. Oh great, I'm starting to confess my feelings.

Dad and Regina went out on a date last night. Fantastic right? I hung out with Henry, which wasn't bad. We watched a Spongebob marathon and ate tons of popcorn. And when Dad came home, he was smiling. Smiling! Dad hardly smiles which led me to believe only one thing: he had a good time. I wanted to hurt him more than anything right then.

I'm being selfish, and I know this. I should be happy that Dad's happy again. But it just bothers me. He and Mum haven't been divorced for that long and already he's found another woman, Regina Mills of all people.

Nosy woman.

There's something odd about her too. I can't quite put my finger on it though. Something very, very odd, as if she thinks she's queen or something. She isn't. She's only mayor and she needs to mind her own business. Which leads me to my next problem: Dad wants me to spend solo time with Regina tomorrow.

Apparently it was a plan the two had concocted during the end of their date. Dad's going to spend some time with Henry while I'm stuck with Regina freaking Mills.

So there Archie, are you happy? I've filled out my first journal (not diary!) entry. Don't expect this much detail the next time, if there really is a next time. I've got my eye on you Archibald Hopper, I got my eye on you…

-Jamie Todd

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Jamie stared at Regina as the woman stood in the threshold. Both gazes were close to glaring.

"Miss Todd," Regina greeted, arms crossed.

"Madam Mayor," Jamie said with equal distaste as she stepped aside to let Regina in. Benjamin had left not too long ago and was taking Henry out for ice cream. Jamie wasn't getting ice cream. She was getting a boring afternoon at home with a woman she didn't trust.

Regina stepped inside the house that had turned out quite nice. All of the furniture had been purchased and the walls painted. It felt a bit more like home to Jamie, now that the Todds had added their own little touch of flare. But Jamie still wasn't happy.

The air was pregnant with awkwardness. It was hard for Jamie to tell what Regina was thinking and vice versa. "So…" Jamie said slowly as she noticed Regina looking around the area, as if searching for something to disapprove of.

Regina slowly turned to face Jamie and smiled. It was a trusting smile, a smile that Jamie did not believe. "Miss Todd," she began kindly, a kindness that did not fool Jamie. "I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I propose that we… start again. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah I do," Jamie answered, though she wasn't entirely pleased about it. She would've preferred that she and Regina remain strangers, not reintroduce each other. "Hi, my name is Jamie Todd. My biological parents are dead, my adoptive parents are divorced, and I suffer from depression. Pleasure to meet you." Her statement of the truth was so idle, so nonchalant. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going up to my room."

Jamie turned on her heels and raced up to her room. Regina tensed, expecting to hear the sound of a door slamming shut. She heard nothing of the sort. Instead, she started to hear a soft voice, singing perhaps. It was too distant to be able to tell. Slowly, Regina wandered upstairs and came to a door that was closed, but opened just a crack. Gently, she pushed it open and was met with the sight of another staircase.

The singing had grown a bit louder, but was still soft. Regina felt a chill go down her spine as she crept up the stairs to see what was going on. She reached to the top of the stairs and found herself in what was obviously Jamie's room, for there was the teen, sitting on her bed and staring at the window. The song was coming from her mouth.

"_Outside the sky waits beckoning, beckoning, just beyond the bars. How can you remain staring at the rain, maddened by the stars_?"

And it was then that Regina realized that Jamie was much like the Linnet birds the teen had been singing about. How was it that she could remain staring at the rain, maddened by the stars? And then the answer became clear. She couldn't.

Jamie remained completely oblivious to the fact that there was another being in her room. She dropped her gaze from the window to look at the silver straight razor in her hand. She loved getting lost in the shine. It glinted in the sunlight, as if winking at Jamie. She turned to object over in her hand, studying it though she knew every detail better than the back of her hand. And then, she felt something warm on her hand and she saw that it was another hand. Jamie looked up to see Regina now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Jamie," Regina said softly, taking the razor out of Jamie's hand and setting it aside. The teen didn't argue, just sat there silently.

The silence overcame the two. Neither did anything, just stare at each other, knowing that not a single word even had to be said. All the hatred, it temporarily disappeared. All the badness, just gone as Regina dared to put an arm around Jamie. Jamie rested her head against Regina's shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And the two stayed that way for a few moments, just in complete silence.

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**A/n: This chapter is a bit shorter than my other chapters, but it took me forever to think of what to write for it! I would type up something and then delete it repeatedly. So hopefully this chapter wasn't too bad? The more reviews, the quicker I update!**


	10. Chapter 10

Beep, beep, beep, went the microwave, signaling that the popcorn was popped. Grinning, Jamie took the popcorn bag out and dumped it into a medium sized bowl. She then brought the bowl out to the living room where Regina was sitting on the couch. Jamie plopped down next to Regina and offered her some popcorn.

After their little moment in Jamie's room, Jamie and Regina had come to an agreement on watching a movie, Jamie's choice.

"So, what will we be watching?" Regina asked, taking a bit of popcorn into her hand.

Jamie grinned deviously. She had picked her favorite movie. Well, second favorite movie.

Saw: The Final Chapter.

Jamie had chosen it because she figured it would be something Regina would hate. Most adults Jamie had encountered really did not like the Saw movies. Jamie never understood why. To create such movies took vision and skill, along with a twisted mind. Jamie would've picked her top favorite movie, but was afraid that Regina would recognize the main character for Jamie's top favorite movie was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Jamie, not answering Regina, put the movie in and hit play quickly. Jamie then plopped back down on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest as the movie started.

A half hour into the movie and Jamie snuck a glance at Regina to see that woman wore a look of disgust. "You actually watch this for entertainment?" Regina asked in disbelief, looking to Jamie. Jamie beamed.

"Yup, I do. Why? Don't think you can stomach it?" she mocked, taking a bit of popcorn and munching on it.

Regina narrowed her eyes slightly. "I can handle this, I assure you Miss Todd."

"Jamie," Jamie corrected.

"Right…" Regina said slowly, trying to interpret what that meant. Jamie had just insisted that she use her first name. But there was still coldness about the girl. "As I've said, I can handle this… Saw movie that you seem to be so fond of." She had been the Evil Queen who ripped people's hearts out of their chest; she could handle watching any trap this Jigsaw murderer set up.

"If you're sure," Jamie said in a sing-song voice, sounding a bit skeptical. She turned her attention back to the screen of the television.

Three deaths later, both Regina and Jamie were so captivated that the popcorn bowl had been abandoned on the coffee table, only half empty. Jamie sat with her knees drawn to her chest while Regina remained sitting crisscrossed.

"Wait, I'm confused," Regina confessed in a quiet voice as she kept her eyes trained on the television screen. "I thought you said that-"

"Sh!" Piper hushed Regina, cutting her off.

Regina narrowed her eyes slightly on Jamie. She was not the type of person who liked to be shushed. Jamie saw this out of the corner of her eye and giggled quietly. "Sorry," she apologized. "But it's kind of a basic rule. You don't ask questions until the movie ends."

"I didn't realize that there were rules to watching movies," Regina muttered, and Jamie shushed her once more. Regina rolled her eyes and the two finished watching the movie in silence.

Finally, it was over and Regina glanced over to Jamie to see her smiling. "That was better the twenty eighth time," Jamie said as she reached for the remote to stop the DVD.

Regina raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. "You've watched this twenty eight times?" she asked in disbelief. Jamie nodded proudly.

"Indeed I have Madam Mayor."

"Regina," Regina corrected, just as Jamie had done with her own name.

Jamie stared blankly at Regina for a few moments. "Right… Regina." The name sounded foreign on her tongue when saying it to the woman herself. Jamie glanced over to the clock. Five-thirty, it said. With a sigh, Jamie stood up and wandered into the bathroom, popping open the bottle of pills.

Two pills rested in the palm of Jamie's hand. The two dreaded pills. Two pills that made her life complicated. True, they made her feel better, but it was always such a pain in the ass to remember to take them every five hours, especially when at a sleepover. Well, Jamie didn't have to worry about sleepovers any more now, did she? Her only friend in Storybrooke was Henry, and he could hardly even be called that. They were more of acquaintances. Jamie just couldn't help but think of how much her life sucked now. Her adoptive parents divorced because of her, it was her own fault she ended up getting therapy. Could she do nothing right? And then the answer to her problems became clear.

If she couldn't live her life right, why continue on? It would be as simple as taking seven pills instead of just two…

Before Jamie knew it, the pill bottle was snatched out of her hand. "Don't even think about it Miss Todd," Regina said darkly, putting the top of the bottle back on and putting it down on the counter.

Jamie found herself glaring at Regina even though deep down, she was grateful that the woman had practically saved her. If Jamie had been home alone with no one to stop her from ending it all, she would've been done for.

Regina stood before Jamie, glowering down at the girl. "And how well did you think this would play out, Miss Todd? How do you think it would've looked if your father came home to find you dead? Do you have any idea as to what that would've done to him?" Jamie knew what Regina was up to. Regina was trying to make her feel guilty. Well it was working.

Jamie felt her eyes water slightly and she looked away from Regina, refusing to show that she was being weak. Regina placed a hand under Jamie's chin and forced the teen to look at her. Regina's gaze was cold and threatening and suddenly, Jamie saw how Henry would think she was the Evil Queen. She certainly looked the part. And then Jamie noticed something. Regina's countenance softened as motherly instincts started to take over. Before Jamie knew it, Regina had pulled her into a hug.

"I need you to promise me something Jamie," Regina said softly and continued on without waiting for a response from Jamie. Regina pulled back so that she could look Jamie in the eye, her arms still around the teen. "No matter how much you think you're life isn't worth it, don't end it. Don't think for a minute that I don't know what it's like to suffer, because I do," what with her mother killing Daniel right in front of her. "Can you promise me that?"

No response at first. Jamie was just studying Regina's countenance. She believed Henry about the whole fairytale thing. Why shouldn't she? The Todd/Turpin family was basically the Sweeney Todd characters reborn. Thankfully, Uncle Jonathon Turpin wasn't perverted as Judge Turpin from 1847 had been. If something like that could happen, then anything was possible, which made Regina the Evil Queen like Henry had said. "I promise," Jamie said quietly in a voice barely above a whisper. The two embraced once more.

""'"'"'"""""

Okay Archie, you wanted me to write? I'm writing, only because I have nothing else to do until our next session. Don't get your hopes up though; I'm not going to be pouring my heart out into these pages.

I almost killed myself today. Just thought that was worth mentioning. You'll be happy to know that I didn't kill myself though (no shit Sherlock!) and all because of Regina freaking Mills. Yes, the woman I loathe saved my life basically.

It doesn't mean anything.

Just because she's dating my dad doesn't mean I have to like her. In fact, that gives me reason to hate her.

She saved my life…

So now I'm stuck lying on my bed, trying to sort out my thoughts. I hate her, but I want Dad to be happy. I want him to be happy with Mum though. Doesn't he miss her? Doesn't he miss the family time we spent together whenever Aunt Lucy and Uncle Jonathon and Johanna and Toby came over? Because I do and Ben and I were always so much alike.

Want to know a secret Archie? My dad is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. And he knows this too. He remembers what it was like being Mr. T, remembers what it was like to slit the throat of hundreds of customers. Do you know who my mum is Archie? Mrs. Lovett and she remembers that too. The only people who don't remember who they once were are Lucy, Turpin, Johanna and Toby. But Mum and Dad, they remember being the Demon Barber and Baker.

So there you have it Archie, the complete and utter truth. Are you happy now?

"'''""""""'''  
Jamie read the entry she had just finished composing a few times before ripping it out of the composition notebook and tearing it apart.

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**A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews XD I will definitely be adding some Ben/Regina fluff in the future because I want to capture their relationship angle. I want to update by the end of the week, but my next chapter may be super long because I want to bring in a surprise twist. The more reviews, the quicker I update!**


	11. Chapter 11

"So how was it with Henry?"

Benjamin shrugged. "It was… alright," he said slowly, carefully. "The lad is weird, very odd; odder than Toby."

Jamie looked up from her book to Ben. "Now or then?" she interrogated, of course meaning Toby's behavior currently, or his behavior in the past, in London, 1847.

Benjamin pondered this question for a few moments before answering. "Both." His speech was still laconic, as it had been when he was once Sweeney Todd. But Benjamin Todd was a bit more sociable. Only when speaking to Jamie and Nellie was he his old, brooding self.

"Hm," was all Jamie had said as a comment, and she returned to her reading. She refused to tell him about what happened between her and Regina, and thankfully it seemed that Regina hadn't said a word either. Jamie still didn't like her any better though.

Benjamin began to pace. Both he and Jamie were currently in his new barber shop. Jamie liked his old one on Fleet Street better. It was more of Benjamin's style. The new place that he was renting from Mr. Gold, it was clean, spotless, and cheerful. Now, Sweeney had always been neat and clean ("for neatness he deserved a nod, did Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.") it was just the jovialness of the place that made both Jamie and Ben feel out of their element.

Taking out her iPod from her pocket, Jamie smirked. She had a bit of an idea. Ben and she were both bored and she knew just how to cure that boredom. "Hey Dad," Jamie said quietly, standing up from the barber's chair that she had been sitting in. "Where's the iPod dock?" She knew Benjamin always kept a spare one around any shop of his because of her little habit to break out into song when bored, like now.

"In the back," Benjamin answered tersely, still pacing as he began to sharpen one of his straight razors, his silver friend.

Grinning, Jamie waltzed to the back room where all the extra supplies were kept. After searching through a few unpacked boxes, she finally found the iPod dock. Jamie plugged it in, put her iPod on, and turned up the volume. She reappeared in the shop the next moment, wearing a triumphant smirk as "Anything You Can Do" from "Annie Get Your Gun" began to play.

Benjamin glanced over to Jamie and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Jamie to choose show tunes over mainstream music. The teen then plopped back down in the barber's chair, picking up her book again as she sang along to her music, and Ben found himself singing along too. "_I can hit a partridge with a single cartridge_," he sang quietly.

"_I can get a sparrow with a bow and arrow_," Jamie answered, copying Annie's part of the song.

The next moment, Mr. Gold walked into the barber shop. He smirked faintly upon hearing Jamie sing along to the song that was being played. "Afternoon Mr. Todd, Miss Todd," he greeted with a nod.

"Mr. Gold," Benjamin greeted in return with a curt nod.

Jamie glanced over to Mr. Gold and smiled. "Hey Mr. Gold." She had recently taken her pills and was feeling like her old self. This friendliness wouldn't last forever of course, but she was much more pleasant to be around while it did.

"Just came to check up on things and see how it's all comin' together," Mr. Gold informed the pair as he looked around the shop. "It seems to be comin' together nicely," he complimented, a bit of a rare thing, whether he truly meant it or not.

Ben cleared his throat quietly. "Thank you. There's still a few touch ups that need to be done and- Jamie will you please turn off that racket!" he snapped.

Jamie stared at Ben with semi wide eyes for a few seconds before giggling. "Yeah, sure thing; and next time, you just have to say please."

Mr. Gold's eyes glinted. Please… ah yes, the word that could get him whatever he wanted when it came to Regina. Mr. Gold quietly chuckled when he saw the dark look upon Benjamin's countenance. Yes, this was definitely Sweeney Todd.

How could Gold have not known? He was once Rumplestiltskin, the man (more of creature) that knew all. A simple makeover and new name wouldn't change that. "Actually, I'm also here to speak with Miss Todd. In private if you don't mind," he added. Benjamin gave a curt nod and went to the background, Jamie reappearing the next moment.

"Hey, Dad said you wanted a word?" Jamie asked, traipsing over to Mr. Gold, arms crossed out of habit.

Mr. Gold smirked. "Yes Miss Todd, I do. I spoke with Regina not too long ago." Jamie's face paled at that statement. What had Regina said to Mr. Gold? Did she say anything about the incident with the pills and almost overdosing? "And she mentioned something about an object you had," Gold continued. "I believe it was a chaste straight razor, correct?"

Jamie nodded a few times, feeling the weight of the silver razor in her pocket.

"Might I see it? Just to get a view; I won't take it, I promise." Mr. Gold held up his right hand as he made his "promise" though he was only mocking Jamie of course.

Hesitantly, Jamie handed over to the razor.

Gold examined the object and couldn't help but smile secretively to himself. Yes, it was chaste silver, in perfect condition, and had once belonged to the infamous Sweeney Todd. "I would hang onto this Miss Todd," Mr. Gold said, handing the straight razor back to Jamie. "You never know when it might come in handy." The mysterious glint in Mr. Gold's eye did not help Jamie at all with trying to figure out if he was being serious, or just messing with her.

Benjamin stepped out of the backroom upon hearing the bell of the door make a welcoming tinkling sound, very much unlike the bell at his shop on Fleet Street that couldn't help but give a person a sense of dread when ringing.

"Well, good day and good luck to the two of you," Mr. Gold said as he left the barber shop, brushing past the man that had come in for a shave.

Jamie's eyes followed Mr. Gold until she couldn't see him anymore. His very presence sent a chill down her spine, but Jamie wasn't about to complain about that. She really had nothing to complain about except for the fact that the guy was a bit of creeper, or could at least act like one.

Sighing quietly, Jamie said, "Alright, I'm gonna head home. Henry's coming over and he should be there in like, ten minutes." Over the past few weeks that Jamie and Ben had moved to Storybrooke, she and Henry had become rather close despite the hatred towards Regina, which had lessened, but only by a bit.

Benjamin curtly nodded, which Jamie translated to: "Okay, I'll be home in a few hours. Don't get yourself killed while I'm gone." Smirking to herself, Jamie waltzed out of the shop and went back home.

Jamie slipped off her shoes as the door banged shut. Just as she started to head towards the living room, there was a knock at the door. Smiling to herself, Jamie went back to the front door and opened it, expecting to see Henry with either Regina standing behind him, or in her car in the driveway. It was none of those things. With Jamie's luck, why would it be?

Jamie's mouth hung slightly open and her eyes were wide in disbelief as she stared at the figure before her.

"Johanna?"

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**A/N: Here a bit earlier, but here nonetheless. Anyway, reviews? And for those of you who are a bit confused, if you read chapter one again, you'll see that Johanna is Jamie's cousin.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: yay, new chapter! Reviews? the more reviews I get, the faster I will update XD**

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There's a chill in the air. It's dark, but I can still see. I look down and see that I'm wearing a dark blue gingham dress and my hair is tied into a braid, held by a ribbon that is the same blue as my dress. I don't remember changing clothes. I also don't remember how I came to lying on a forest floor.

I stand up and brush the dirt off the dress that doesn't belong to me. After a few minutes, I see that the only thing for me to do is to start walking and find my way out of the forest, so I do.

It feels like I've been wandering for hours. There is no sign, no hope, of me getting out of this forest. And then, like a small miracle, I hear something. It's a faint clinking of metal and the first thought that comes to my head is: knight. I don't know why, but that's what I think of. The next moment, my suspicion is proven to be correct.

The man is dressed in black armor, but he doesn't seem very comfortable. "And who are you?" he asks me, and much to my surprise, I answer. I open my mouth to say "Jamie." But that's not what happens.

"Effie," I say. I don't mean to say a name that isn't mine. But for some reason, that feels like my name. I was Effie.

The knight looks surprised, as if in realization. He grabs my arm, gently thankfully, and starts to guide me back to his horse.

Off we rode, me clinging to the torso of the knight as the horse raced at an incredible speed. I shut my eyes tightly, feeling a bit ill and scared. But in no time, the horse stops and the knight is helping me down from the creature.

A dark castle looms before us and I feel a chill go down my spine. Much to my despair, the knight leads me into the castle. I am blind to my surroundings, and suddenly I find myself in a type of throne room. There's a woman there and I recognize her as Regina. She's different now though. She is not mayor here, she is queen.

Regina smirks and I feel rather unsafe. "You have served me well, Hunstman," she says icily, referring to the knight, "this time. Now let's hope all goes well, or it will be on your head. More of heart, I should say." This knight was dismissed, leaving me alone with Regina, the Evil Queen. Regina glowers at me and I swallow nervously.

"""'''''""''

"And then I woke up," Jamie concluded. She had just finished telling Johanna of her very strange dream that had occurred not too long ago.

Johanna blinked a few times, trying to process all that Jamie had told her. It sounded so farfetched, but then again, it had been a dream. "Well, that's certainly… odd," Jo said carefully. "I don't really think it means anything though."

Jamie sighed as she shifted her position on the couch that she and Johanna currently sat on. "Perhaps you're right. I mean, dreams are meant to be weird. It just felt so eerily real though. You know, despite the whole fairytale like aspect of it."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "And that would be Henry," Jamie told Johanna as she stood up from the couch. Jamie answered the door, smiling down at Henry. "Hey kid, come on in." She stepped aside, allowing Henry access into the house. Jamie raised her gaze to meet Regina's. "Regina," she greeted plainly, with a hint of a curt nod.

"Jamie," Regina said in return. The two had started using each other's first names. Jamie only did it because it made Benjamin feel happy to see that his girlfriend and daughter were supposedly getting along. "What time should I pick Henry up?"

Jamie shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I assume when Dad gets annoyed with him," she joked, trying to add some levity to the situation. She stopped her faint laughing when she saw Regina's serious expression. "Uh, if you want, you can stay I suppose. I'm sure Dad won't mind."

"And where is your father?" Regina asked, crossing her arms and looking past Jamie into the house.

"At work," Jamie answered, and then added, "No, I don't know when he'll be back, so don't bother asking."

Regina smirked faintly as she uncrossed her arms and stepped inside. She then saw Johanna and frowned slightly.

"My cousin, Johanna," Jamie said quickly as she shut the door and stepped over next to Regina. "Johanna, Regina. Regina, Johanna," Jamie introduced quickly as she sauntered back over to Johanna and reclaimed her spot on the couch. "Oh yeah, and that's Henry," Jamie added, gesturing loosely to the boy.

Henry smiled and waved to Johanna. "Hi," he said pleasantly and Johanna smiled sweetly.

"Hello Henry," Johanna greeted politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Jamie has told me so much about you."

Henry's cheeks colored faintly as he glanced to Jamie, who winked at him. "Alright H-man, you chose the flick." Jamie turned on the television and switched the channel to movies on demand. She then relinquished the burden of the remote to Henry, who started flicking through the list of movies.

Regina was not quite pleased by this. "You just allow him to watch whatever movie he wants?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Chilax 'gina," the teen said, using the nickname she started calling Regina every now and then. "Everything he watches is PG or below."

The mayor resisted the urge to glare at Jamie for using the shortened version of her name. Johanna's cell phone started ringing then and she and Jamie exchanged nervous glances. Without looking at the phone, they both knew who was calling. Johanna took out her phone and answered nervously, "Hey Dad."

There was a period of muffled yelling, the words of Jamie's Uncle Jonathon Turpin incoherent over the mobile phone, thankfully. Based on the expression on Johanna's countenance, Turpin's words were not very kind.

Johanna said nothing and when her father finally stopped his tirade, she just hung up slowly. There was an awkward pause that followed. Jamie was the first to break it. "You have to go back home, right?"

Johanna nodded solemnly. "They want me on a plane tomorrow. Well, this little visit was fun while it lasted," the blonde said with a sigh.

Jamie grimaced in dismay. She had hoped Johanna's visit could've lasted longer. She and Johanna were practically sisters, her only friend here in Storybrooke besides Henry. "I guess we just have to enjoy this time together while we still can." It was the best they could do.

It was then that Regina realized that she and seen the truly softer side of Jamie. The side that cared for her family and perhaps would do anything for them. Regina had to admit, she liked this side of Jamie a lot better than the side that was defensive and a brat at times.

Jamie glanced over to Regina and the two locked gazes. A millisecond passed with them just staring at each other before Jamie faintly grinned and Regina smiled in return. Then Henry's movie began to play.


	13. Chapter 13

Dinner was incredibly awkward. When Ben came home and discovered Johanna there with Jamie, he at first had been enraged. Jamie didn't exactly blame Ben for his emotion towards Johanna running away from home. In the past, Johanna had once been Sweeney's daughter, and Jamie felt sympathy for Ben since he had to live with knowing that Johanna had once been his daughter and was now his niece, living with Lucy, who had once been his wife, now his sister and Jonathon Turpin, once his nemesis now his brother-in-law. On the whole, it was all very complicated, so Jamie just ignored who was who in the past and focused on who they were now.

"So…" Jamie said, trying to break the awkward silence. "How's your boyfriend, Jo?"

Ben nearly choked on his spaghetti. He looked to Johanna. "You have a boyfriend?"

Johanna blushed a deep red as she kept her eyes trained on her plate. "Yeah, I do, and he's doing fine Jamie. Ta for asking."

Jamie grinned cockily as she glanced over to Ben. He met her gaze and she winked. It was their little signal for "nothing to worry about" which in this case meant that Ben needn't worry about a thing involving Johanna's boyfriend. "His name is Anthony, right?" Jamie asked, her gaze still on Ben, who visibly relaxed.

Anthony Hope was a fine gentleman who had a thing for sailing since his father was a boat salesman, though Anthony was more interested in ships than just speed boats.

The family caught up during dinner time, telling of what had happened.

"Why'd you come here Jo?" Jamie interrogated, dying to know the answer.

Johanna grinned brightly. "Did you honestly think I was going to let you be taken away to a different country without a fight?" Though the rhetorical question was directed to Jamie, Johanna's eyes fell on Ben. And then her facial expression became solemn and grave. "Auntie Nell's smitten with someone," Johanna confessed quietly and Ben nearly dropped his fork. "Some blighter named Davy Collins. Real charmer he is, though a bit of creep sometimes, at least in my opinion. Just… just thought I should let you two know that."

Though it was probably Benjamin who was most affected by the news of his beloved Nellie Todd, formerly Lovett, it was Jamie to abruptly stand up from the dinner table and silently walk away. But she didn't go to her room, not that Benjamin and Johanna expected that. They knew Jamie well enough to figure that if she were angry and upset enough, she'd just walk out of the house. And that's exactly what Jamie did.

Her mind was clouded with thoughts of betrayal and anger, but at the same time happiness that her adoptive mother had found someone she liked. Jamie had a whole mix of emotions running through her and in the end she decided that she was the color magenta. Why magenta? Well why not magenta? Blue was sad, red was angry, yellow was scared. So why not magenta meaning a mix of a number of emotions?

Jamie hadn't realized how far she had walked or how long she had walked for. Had it been seconds, minutes, possibly hours or days even? No, it couldn't have been more than minutes. Her feet didn't hurt at all, though she was getting one hell of a headache. Mainly because she just walked straight into a solid object.

"Ow," Jamie hissed in pain as she rubbed her forehead to soothe the ache. She looked to see that she had walked right into someone's door. Wait, she recognized this door. Pristine white, flawless paint job; everything practically in perfect order… Jamie knocked a few times on the door.

Regina Mills opened the door a bit hesitantly having not been expecting company. She frowned slightly at the sight of the familiar, annoying teenager on her doorstep. "Jamie, what are you doing here?" She was a little unsure if she truly wanted to know the answer or not.

Jamie looked up to lock eyes with Regina, and the woman saw the tears that had not spilled over. "Where's Henry?" Jamie asked.

This question confused Regina a bit further. Why should it matter where he was? Unless, of course, Jamie was looking for him. "Upstairs, in his room; why?"

Jamie ignored Regina's question. "Uh, can I um, like, come in or something?"

Regina, still confused, nodded a few times and stepped aside. "Yes, you may." She shut the door behind Jamie and studied the girl's figure. Regina could just tell that something not quite right or particularly good had happened. "Can I get you-?"

"Do you love him? My dad I mean," Jamie said, cutting off Regina.

The mayor stared blankly at Jamie, caught completely off guard by the question. "Well, uh, I suppose…"

"Yes or no?" Jamie's tone was enough to tell Regina that it was not going to be possible to just change the subject.

Regina huffed quietly. "Love isn't that easy Jamie. Your father and I have only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Love takes time."

"Oh really?" Jamie asked in disbelief, "Because it seems to be working at inhuman speed for everyone else."

Now things were starting to make a little sense, but only a little. "Jamie, tell me what happened," Regina commanded in a firm but not cross tone.

Jamie kept her eyes trained on the floor, wondering if it was a stupid mistake coming here. But it was too late now, wasn't it? "It's my mum… she uh, found a bloke named Davy Collins," the teen confessed, still looking to the ground. It surprised her greatly to find that Regina was pulling her into a hug. And what shocked Jamie even more was that she found herself hugging back. "So do you love him, my dad?"

Regina sighed quietly, looking down at Jamie. "No," she answered honestly. "I cannot bring myself to lie and say that I do. There is only one man in this world that I will love more than anything and he is dead." Her beloved Daniel, the stable boy. "But I can promise you this: I do have a strong sense of affection for Benjamin. Close to love, though not exactly."

Jamie nodded a few times, pulling back from Regina just a bit to look at her properly. "And I can promise you this." She lowered her tone of voice to a threatening level. "If you hurt him or my family in any way shape or form, I swear to god I will take my straight razor and slice your throat."

Despite that statement being a threat, Regina and Jamie shared a smile and Regina pulled Jamie back into the hug. "I think we may get along just fine Miss Todd."

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**A/N: Yay, chapter thirteen! For some reason, chapter thirteen ends being one of the best chapters, or a really good chapter whether it be because of emotions or it explains something, or whatever.**

**Reviews? The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update XD**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So I decided to be nice and update. I keep checking the traffic stats for this story and love to see that a number of people seem to be reading this. Reviews? I'd like to remind people that you don't have to have an account to review my stories. I welcome anonymous reviews!**

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"Thanks," Jamie muttered as she was handed a mug of warm apple cider. She took a sip, smiling faintly at the inviting taste of Regina's homemade cider.

Regina sat down beside Jamie on the couch. The two sat in a rather comfortable silence for a few moments before Regina spoke up. "Care to talk about anything?"

Vigorously, Jamie shook her head. "Of course not; I feel like I should talk about some things, but I wish not to right now." She welcomed the silence now. If this were yesterday, she would've hated the silence and felt it to be too awkward. But it wasn't yesterday, was it?

"Are you sure Ben won't mind you staying here for an hour to two?"

Again, Jamie shook her head, very faintly smiling. "He wouldn't mind a bit, I'm sure." Upon saying these words, Jamie brought her hand to her neck. She clutched a silver locket, which Regina hadn't noticed before. It had an intricate design on the front and silver gleamed; chaste silver, just like Benjamin's straight razors.

Jamie noticed Regina's sudden interest in her locket and she undid the clasp, handing the piece of jewelry over to the mayor. "It won't open," the teen explained. "I've tried and tried and so has everyone else. It just won't open."

"Where did you get this?" Regina asked suddenly, as if she hadn't heard what Jamie had just said. She managed to pull her gaze away from the locket to look at Jamie. Her eyes were fully of questioning and… was that a tone of concern?

Jamie shrugged. "I've had it for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember, it wouldn't open. I always figured it came from my birth parents. I can't ask them though…" Jamie trailed off; saddened by the memories of knowing her birth parents were dead as well as her brother.

Regina handed Jamie back the locket, her hand lingering against Jamie's for a millisecond extra before returning to her lap. "Are you sure there's nothing you wish to talk about?" she asked again, just to make sure.

The teen bit her lower lip nervously. "Well, I guess there's one thing I'd kind of like to talk about…"

"''"'''"'

Effie sighed in boredom. She was sitting beside the queen's road, waiting for her friend to show up. Her friend, Annalisa, had promised they would spend the day exploring through the forest. It seemed though that Annalisa had stood her up, yet again. Frowning slightly in dismay, Effie stood up and started to wander down the Queen's road, hoping that she'd be able to find her way home instead of just going the usual way.

It hadn't been long before Effie completely tuned out and did not notice the midnight black carriage that came down the lane. Soon, Effie found herself knocked to the ground by a knight in pitch black armor as he yelled: "Out of her majesty's way!"

Regina felt herself lurch forward as the carriage came to a sudden halt. Feeling angered by the delay in her travels, Regina forced the carriage door open, glaring. "What is going on?" she demanded of one of the guards. The guard gestured to the commotion going on in front of the carriage. There was a girl arguing with another knight. Regina studied to the girl and felt that she was rather familiar. Regina, not wanting her trip to be delayed, stepped out of the carriage and walked towards the knight and the girl who were currently quarrelling.

"Could someone please care to explain what is going on here?" Regina asked. Though the question was directed to both the knight and Effie, she kept her main focus on Effie.

"This here girl was in the path," the knight explained with disdain towards Effie. Effie put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at the knight. The knight glared and raised his sword in a threatening manner. He was stopped from causing Effie any harm by Regina.

"There is no need for violence yet," she declared, narrowing her eyes on the knight. Reluctantly, the knight put his sword away and returned to his place by the carriage. Regina scrutinized Effie further before smirking. "And what is your name?"

Effie was a bit caught off guard by the fact that her majesty, the Evil Queen, was speaking to her. Her parents had taught her exactly what to do if this ever happened. Effie curtsied in respect, bowing her head. "My name is Effie Lindelle, your highness," she answered politely.

Regina paled. Lindelle, she knew that last name… Erasing her stunned expression, Regina smiled charmingly. "Well, Miss Effie Lindelle," the Evil Queen began with false kindness. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind terribly if you were to join me in my summer castle for afternoon tea?"

Effie's eyes widened. She was secretly pleased that she was being given a personal invitation by the Queen herself to have afternoon tea with Regina in her summer castle. Effie knew that she should probably be afraid. This was the Evil Queen after all. But she couldn't help feeling privileged. "They wouldn't mind a bit, your majesty, I'm sure," Effie responded with a bit of enthusiasm.

Again, Regina felt a pang of familiarity about Effie, but she merely brushed off the emotion. "Then we have no time to waste, do we?"

"''"'''""'

Regina made Jamie pause in her storytelling. "Now, is this a story you wrote?"

Jamie shook her head. "No, this was a dream I had," she stated. "And it felt so realistic…"

"'''''""''

Effie sipped her tea, making sure she didn't look at the queen directly since she was not being spoken to. She had been raised to know that there were many things that she should and shouldn't do when in the presence of royalty; no matter how much she disliked them.

Regina smirked. This Effie character was certainly interesting. She demonstrated how foolish and stubborn she could be when arguing with the guard, but now it was like she was a completely different person. "Tell me a bit about yourself." It was a command, not an option, and Effie knew this. Almost everything the queen said was a command.

"Well," Effie started, setting aside her tea cup to converse. "I am ten years old and enjoy reading, writing, and going on little adventures in the woods."

As the queen listened to this, she found herself actually interested, if only a bit. "Anything else you'd care to share?"

Effie shook her head. "I'm afraid there isn't much to tell about me, your majesty," she apologized. "I live with loving parents and a brother."

"Oh yes, I'm very aware of who is a part of the Lindelle family," Regina stated matter-of-factly.

''"''"''""'

Silence filled the air. Regina didn't know what to say. What could she say? The dream had been eerily accurate, except for the part with her meeting some girl called Effie. That never happened. Regina kept her cool though and did not let on that Jamie's dream could've meant something.

She looked to Jamie, seeing that the teen was staring absentmindedly into the mug of cider. Regina cleared her throat, grabbing Jamie's attention again. "You know Jamie, I'm sure the dream means nothing," she assured Jamie.

Jamie shrugged. "I know it doesn't mean anything, but it just felt so real, and what with Henry telling me about the whole fairytale thing-" Jamie cut herself off as she realized what she had said.

Regina frowned. "There will be no more talk about fairytales in this house," she stated a bit darkly. Jamie rolled her eyes. Grownups, they were always so sensitive about everything!

"Right, sorry," Jamie apologized, sounding as if she didn't really mean it. She set aside the mug, now empty of apple cider. "Anyway, sorry to bother you; I should probably go." Jamie started to stand up when she heard a noise from upstairs. She suddenly remembered Henry. "Actually, would you mind if I had a quick word with Henry?"

Regina shook her head, standing up. "No, not at all."

Jamie grinned and hurried up to Henry's room.


	15. Chapter 15

Jamie stared at the page of Henry's book as the two lounged on his bed.

"I have an idea as to who Rumplestiltskin might be," Jamie said as she looked up from the book to meet Henry's dark eyes.

Henry raised his eyebrows. "Who?" He was quite intrigued to know.

"Mr. Gold," Jamie suggested. "I mean think about it: Gold, Rumplestiltskin, always making deals with people…"

Henry pulled the book towards him and flipped to a page that had a clear picture of Rumplestiltskin. He studied it, contemplating Jamie's suggestion. He then smiled faintly. "You know what? I think you're right."

Meanwhile downstairs, Regina was on the phone speaking to Benjamin. "Yes Ben, she's fine," the mayor insisted into the phone.

"Just please make sure she isn't around any sharp objects," Benjamin warned Regina as he glanced to Johanna who was sitting on the couch. The blonde rolled her blue orbs.

Regina let out a slow breath. She knew that Benjamin was just trying to protect Jamie, but there was a point where it became annoying. "Don't worry Benjamin; Jamie's upstairs spending some time with Henry. I'll make sure she gets home safe."

Benjamin smiled faintly, a rare thing for him. He was actually glad that he could count on Regina. He, of course, would think differently if he knew of Regina's true form of the Evil Queen. "Thank you Regina. I'll see you soon then."

Regina smirked faintly. "See you soon," but not as soon as Ben thought. She hung up the phone and set it down on the kitchen counter. She then headed upstairs, about to knock on Henry's door. The faint voices of Jamie and Henry talking stopped Regina. She listened in.

"Okay, so we have Gold figured out," said Jamie. "And you're mum, and some other people. How can we break this curse again?"

"Simple," Henry answered. "We just have to get the savior, my real mom, to believe. There's supposed to be this whole final battle and everything and we just have to make sure that Good wins."

Regina could picture Jamie's smirk in her mind. "That'll be way too easy. Ben has murdered hundreds in his past life. He is skilled in the art of killing. He was Sweeney Todd, after all. The good guys will prevail with him on our side."

At this, Regina started to panic a bit. She stepped away from the door, hardly believing what she had just heard. Ben… was a mass murderer in a past life? Not good, not good at all! And having raised Jamie for a few years, who was to say that she wouldn't be an essential asset to the good side when winning the final battle? Regina had to act, and she had to act now. Find Ben's weakness was what she had to do.

As Regina entered the kitchen, her eyes fell upon the ruby red apple that rested on the window sill, waiting to be consumed. Regina's mind jumped to the apple that had cursed Snow White for a short period of time… Regina had a wicked idea just then. Would it be so awful if one tiny piece of a poisoned apple just happened to find its way down Jamie's throat?

No, Regina couldn't bring herself to do that. Though Jamie was a brat most of the time and too guarded, there was still something about the teen that Regina had to admire. Not to mention that Jamie was Ben's daughter. Regina had told Jamie the absolute truth when she confessed that she had a strong affection for Benjamin. Not exactly love and it would probably never be love. It seemed as though that everyone she loved ended up getting hurt. First Daniel, then her own father… at least little Henry was safe. Little did Regina know of course that that would change very quickly. Besides, even if Regina did want to go through with the plan of giving Jamie a poisoned apple, she couldn't. She didn't have a poisoned apple handy.

Jamie appeared beside Regina as if by magic. She had been so silent, quieter than the wind almost. "So you're taking me home?"

Regina nodded almost gravely. "Yes, I am. I suggest you say your goodbyes to Henry."

"Oh can't he come with?" Jamie pleaded, clasping her hands together and pouting. "Please 'gina? Please, please, please, please-"

"Fine," Regina gave in, rolling her eyes. Again, she thought back to how Jamie was so annoying at times. This was one of those times.

Henry waltzed in the next moment, as if he had been anticipation Regina's answer. "Great! Jamie, let's head out to the car." So Henry led the way to the car. Both he and Jamie got into the back seat.

On the drive back to Jamie's house, the teen and Henry kept exchanging knowing looks. They had formulated a plan to get Emma to believe and hopefully it would work.

"My cousin, Johanna, you met her remember? Well, she's leaving tomorrow," Jamie whispered.

Henry paled. "What? No, she can't leave! Bad things happen to people who leave," he warned.

Jamie sighed. "I know that, that's why I'm telling you this," she said in a bored tone. "Now help me think of a way to stop her from leaving!"

Regina slammed on the breaks in front of Jamie's house before the two could continue speaking. She did not like where the conversation was headed. It then had become all too clear that Henry and Jamie knew exactly what was up and Regina felt that she had to stop things from progressing. The only way she saw to do that was to rid Storybrooke of Emma Swan and she intended to do just that.

"Ugh, 'gina, what the hell?" Jamie complained.

"We're here," stated Regina, ignoring Jamie's remark.

Jamie glared at Regina as she undid her seat belt. She didn't miss the sly smirk that had appeared on Regina's face. "I'll catch you tomorrow Henry," Jamie muttered before getting out of the car. Both she and Regina walked up to the door, which Ben opened shortly before they reached it.

Benjamin hugged Jamie lovingly and then sent her inside. "Thank you so much Regina," he said to his girlfriend before kissing her on the lips. Jamie, who had remained behind Benjamin, made a face of disgust.

"Get a room," she whined before turning on her heels and heading up to the guest room where Johanna was staying.

Regina and Benjamin shared a quiet laugh before Ben kissed her once more. "Again, ta; we're still on for Saturday, right?"

Slowly, Regina nodded. "Yes, we are. I may be running a little late though. There's some… business that I have to take care of first."

Benjamin failed to notice the devious smirk that Regina's lips had formed.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Something went wrong with my computer, but the problem's fixed now. Plus, this is my last week of school. I end on the 22nd and then I'll be free to do nothing but write! Yay!**

**Reviews please?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.**


	16. Chapter 16

"So explain to me again how come you're not going to school here?" Johanna asked, taking a bit of a Twizzler. She offered the package to Jamie, who took a vine of the sweet, strawberry candy.

Jamie took a bite of the candy and while she chewed, she answered, "Been waitin' for the new semester to come up. It's been nice not having to wake up early every day."

Johanna giggled softly. It was in the afternoon; perhaps an hour before the schools would've let the children out. Johanna knew that she would be scolded to no end when she got home for she was missing school as well."Where's Uncle Ben, anyway?" Jo asked, realizing that the house seemed eerily quiet, despite Ben himself being a quiet man. He had started to become more social though, which was good.

"He's dealing with Mr. Gold as we speak," Jamie said with an amused smirk. Apparently, the rent for the barber shop had been raised by about one hundred and fifty dollars. Not surprisingly, Benjamin was very displeased by this and decided to have a little chat with Mr. Gold face-to-face. Jamie couldn't wait to see how that would end up. She pitied anyone who had to deal with an angered Benjamin (Sweeney) Todd.

"'''"""''"

"We have nothing to discuss Mr. Todd," Mr. Gold said as he limped out from behind the counter in his pawnshop.

Benjamin had his arms crossed and looked like he could murder. "Yes, I believe we do, Mr. Gold. Just explain to me why you've raised the rent." His tone was abrasive and menacing.

Mr. Gold didn't even try to hide his smirk. "The economy Mr. Todd; I didn't think pulling together an extra one hundred and fifty dollars wouldn't be too hard seeing as you've become the best barber in Storybrooke. What's your motto? 'The closest shave you will ever know.'"

Ben paled; he hadn't used that motto since… well since the olden days when instead of shaving men, he slit their throats. "How did you…"

"Know? Why, I know everything Mr. Todd," Mr. Gold stated matter-of-factly. He locked eyes with Benjamin, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Benjamin's jaw twitched slightly. He was vaguely reminded of the time he beat a man named Signor Pirelli to death with a tea kettle. Oh how he wished he could do the very same to Mr. Gold at that moment.

The two men held each other's gaze for a long period of time, Mr. Gold wearing a triumphant grin while Ben's hand itched to take out his precious friend that was his straight razor and slice Gold's throat. He couldn't though. He might've been able to get away with it in the past, but that was then and this was now.

"Do we have a deal Mr. Todd?" Mr. Gold asked suddenly. "An extra one hundred and fifty dollars in addition to your monthly rent, and I'll keep my mouth shut." Mr. Gold did not miss the harshness in Benjamin's gaze. "Sweeney," he added just to annoy Ben further.

Benjamin held out his hand and Mr. Gold shook it firmly. "The deal is struck," Mr. Gold said with a sly grin. Benjamin quickly retracted his hand as soon as their agreement had become official. "Now Mr. Todd, I do believe you have a family and business to tend to?"

Benjamin left without another word, hands balled into tight fists.

''""''"""''

"I have a what?"

"A dentist appointment," Benjamin responded to Jamie calmly. In fact, his answer was also a bit solemn. Obviously something had happened between him and Mr. Gold, but Jamie didn't pry for details.

Jamie groaned in complaint. "And when were you going to tell me about this?"

Ben glared. He looked very much like Sweeney Todd except he didn't have the white streak in his hair. His cold gaze was exactly the same, though no surprise there. "Just be happy I'm telling you now."

Jamie was still pissed off about it though. She always hated going to the dentist. It hurt so much all of the time, even if she was just going for a cleaning. This time would be a little worse though. This time, Ben had to work in order to earn that extra money for Gold. This time, Regina would be picking her up from the dentist office.

"Why can't Jo pick me up?" Jamie protested. Johanna smiled sweetly at Ben, showing that she thought that was a good plan.

"Because," Ben said, sounding exasperated. "Johanna is going home."

Jamie remembered that she and Henry talked about how with the curse, no one could leave Storybrooke; bad things happened to people who tried to leave. Then Jamie had reminded Henry that Johanna was going to leave. Henry had assured Jamie that Johanna was safe though. Johanna hadn't been magically bound to Storybrooke by the Curse. Johanna hadn't been part of the Curse and neither was anyone else apart of Jamie's family. They could come and go as they pleased without worry.

Johanna and Jamie faced each other. "So… I guess we say goodbye now," Jo said softly. "Since you're leaving now…"

"Yeah," Jamie said absentmindedly. Regina would be picking her up while Ben headed to work and Johanna took her rented car back to the airport. Johanna and Jamie embraced tightly. "Tell everyone I said hi and that I miss 'em, alright?"

Johanna giggled softly. "Alright, I will," she promised. They hugged one last time before they were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

Regina.

Oh great.

"Well, I'll see you soon…" Slowly, Jamie exited the house. She stayed by the front door for a few moments, glaring at the car. She hated Regina a little less now, but still disliked her, especially now because the woman was taking her to the dentist. Jamie slid into the passenger seat; Henry was at school.

The drive to the dentist office had been awkwardly silent at first, and then Jamie started to beg Regina to stop the car and just tell Ben she went. No one but them would have to know that Jamie never went to the appointment! But Regina refused and insisted that Jamie go to her appointment and just deal with it.

"''""''''"

Regina sat in the waiting room. It had to have been an hour at least since Jamie had been called in to see the dentist and the mayor was beginning to get very bored.

Finally, Jamie appeared, and she was giggling madly. She seemed to be having a little trouble walking straight and Regina stood up, walking over to Jamie's side and putting an arm around the girl.

The dentist's assistant explained that Jamie wasn't cooperating and had to be given laughing gas. Regina did her best not to roll her eyes. Jamie Todd on laughing gas; Regina could not see this going well. She thanked the dentist's assistant and guided Jamie to the car. She had to help the teen into the passenger seat and had to buckle the seat belt for her.

When Regina got into the driver's seat, she noticed Jamie studying her. "Wh-who are you?" she asked through her delirium. Jamie then started to laugh insanely once more. "I sound like the yellow caterpillar from Alex in Wonderland!"

Regina found herself cracking a smile in amusement. This was actually quite interesting. "I think you mean the _blue _caterpillar from _Alice _in Wonderland."

Jamie scoffed. "Yeah, sure, whatever Miss Know-It-All." Jamie patted Regina on the head and then turned her attention to the window, missing the glare Regina sent her. The mayor had to keep reminding herself that Jamie was delirious from the laughing gas.

The rest of the car ride back to Jamie's house consisted of random laughing from Jamie and annoyed huffs from Regina. Finally, after what felt like forever, the two arrived at the house.

Regina led the way to the front door as Jamie followed unsteadily behind. As soon as they were inside, Jamie bolted for the television, turned it on to the music channel, and then danced and sang along to the music.

Quickly, Regina shut off the television, bringing peaceful silence to the house, which didn't last long. "Oi! Wha's your problem?" Jamie demanded in a thick Cockney accent, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes on Regina.

"You are to go upstairs and get to bed, Miss Todd," Regina said a commanding tone. "No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

Jamie pouted, but marched upstairs to her room. Regina followed. When they reached Jamie's room, Regina stood in the doorway to make sure that Jamie would do as she said she would do and get into her bed.

Of course, Jamie didn't.

"But I ain't tired!" the teen complained in protest.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I don't care, Miss Todd. You are high on laughing gas and need to sleep it off. Now get into your bed."

But Jamie still refused to do as she was told. She tried pushing past Regina, who blocked the bedroom doorway. Regina huffed in annoyance and wrapped her arms around Jamie tightly to prevent the teen from trying to escape the room. Despite Jamie's attempts to break free and general stubbornness, Regina guided Jamie to her bed, sitting both herself and Jamie on the bed, arms still wrapped tightly around her.

Jamie still struggled against Regina's hold. Her attempts to break free became weaker and weaker though, and finally she just gave up. "Fine, I'll lie down, but only if the giant fluffy unicorn in the corner of my room tells me to."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, the fluffy unicorn says to lie down."

Jamie shrugged. "Okay then, Mr. Unicorn," she said to the corner of her room.

She yawned quietly and nuzzled Regina's shoulder, eyes falling shut. Regina raised her eyebrows.

"What are you doing, Miss Todd?"

Jamie opened her eyes a bit. "I can't lie down with you holding me like this," she pointed out, sounding actually sane. She then giggled madly. "I have a secret to tell you. You can't tell anyone though, especially not Regina."

Regina said nothing in response for fear that if she did, Jamie might realize that she _was_ Regina.

Leaning close to Regina's ear, Jamie whispered very, very softly: "Even though I say and act like I don't, I actually like her."

Regina froze, but did not let go of Jamie. She allowed the girl to continue: "She's powerful and a bitch at times, but Dad likes her a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a latte… Damn I want a latte." Jamie giggled quietly again. "So I like her too. But remember: shhhhh, don't tell Regina."

"I won't," Regina promised in a soft whisper. "I won't."

* * *

**A/N: Couldn't resist writing some friendship fluff! Next chapter, things get interesting XD and the next chapter views the whole Ben and Regina relationship aspect, I promise. **

**Reviews?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Updates may be slower until season two comes out in september**

* * *

It was a beautiful Saturday. Well, as beautiful as a Saturday in Storybrooke could get. Yes, it was still grey and cloudy, but no rain.

This was the day Jamie partially dreaded. She had recovered from her dentist appointment since it was a few days ago and she hadn't seen Regina or Henry since. She had been in a bit of a dampened mood since Johanna left. Now she had to face this Saturday by herself. The Saturday that Ben and Regina were going out on another date.

At least Jamie was keeping the company of Henry. Mainly to babysit, but the kid was ten; he could take care of himself. So Jamie almost refused to look at it as babysitting. Besides, she wasn't even getting paid! Not that it mattered of course…

Jamie stared at herself in the mirror. She started looking like her old self. There were no longer dark circles under her eyes, no matter how faint they had been before. Some color had returned to her skin despite the lack of sun. Her dark brown eyes with a hint of red were as bright and lively as they had ever been. All in all, she felt better than she had felt in months.

Until today.

As Benjamin started to slip his white polo shirt over, someone started knocking on the door. It only could have been Regina dropping Henry off. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to tame it. "Jamie, can you get that!" he called out to Jamie.

Jamie sighed quietly to herself before heading down to the front door and opening it.

She was met by the sight of Henry smiling, his fairytale book tucked under his arm. "Hey Jamie," he greeted as he brushed past her, heading to the couch in the living room. Jamie playfully rolled her eyes. She then looked back to Regina.

Jamie didn't exactly want to admit it, but Regina looked stunning for a simple lunch date. Regina wore a diamond studded clip in her hair with red violet dress that reached just below her knees. And… was that a smile? Did Jamie's eyes deceive her, or was that a true smile?

The teen didn't recall anything from the laughing gas incident. So of course, she didn't remember anything she had said to Regina. "Dad'll be down in a second," Jamie said.

Regina's smile felt foreign upon her own lips. It was a real smile. Sure, when Henry was younger and didn't accuse her of being the Evil Queen, she had smiled then. But that was so long ago…. Her smile now was genuine and Jamie could sense that. She just didn't why. "Miss Todd," Regina paused, and then corrected herself, "Jamie, a word please?"

Utterly confused, Jamie nodded and stepped outside where Regina stood, shutting the front door behind her. Regina gestured to the bench on the porch and the two sat side by side.

"Are you feeling better?" the mayor asked. "From your dentist appointment I mean," she added.

Jamie nodded slowly. "Yeah, I s'pose I am." She was still a bit confused. Regina was being oddly nice. Jamie wasn't sure if she should be worried or relieved that she and Regina were having this brief moment of getting along with one another.

Regina frowned slightly. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

Almost regretfully, Jamie shook her head. "No, I don't." Was she supposed to? Was there something she was missing?

Before anything more could be said on the matter, Benjamin appeared wearing a broad grin. Regina stood up and the two kissed on the lips. Jamie grimaced and pushed past them to get back into the house. When he pulled away from the kiss, Ben glanced behind his shoulder to see Jamie shut the door on them. He chuckled to himself, turning his attention back to Regina. "Shall we go?" He offered her his arm.

"''""'""

"Are they gone?" Henry asked as Jamie joined him on the couch. She nodded with a mischievous grin. Henry returned the smile and he set his fairytale book on the coffee table.

Henry was still convinced that Jamie was some sort of fairytale character, just an unimportant one, which meant she couldn't leave Storybrooke, unlike her adoptive family. So the ten year old flipped to a page that showed a scene of a village.

There was a midnight black carriage in the center, obviously belonging to the queen. So this particular story involved the Evil Queen. That wasn't what Henry was getting at though. He pointed to a slightly blurred figure. It was blatantly a female, and she had dark brown hair, wearing a dress that vaguely reminded Jamie of the dress Alice wore from American McGee's: Alice, except without the odd symbols on the pockets. What struck Jamie was odd was the color of the character's eyes. They were the same color as hers…

'"''""'''"

The restaurant was nothing fancy, but it was the simplicity that gave it elegance. A nice Italian place that wasn't too overcrowded.

"Todd, reservation for two," Benjamin told the waiter, and he and Regina were led to their table that was located right by the window, giving them a beautiful view of a green yard.

Soon, the two began talking. Despite Benjamin having not been much of a talker, he and Regina usually shared intriguing conversation, not usually about the children of course. But this time, it was different. Mainly because of Regina's new found knowledge of Jamie.

"She really is a… remarkable child," Regina said, choosing her words carefully. She was about to use "unique" but she was clever enough to know that whenever someone said "unique," it meant "strange," "odd," and "weird."

Benjamin smiled faintly. "That's the first time I've ever heard that word to describe Jamie," he confessed with a chuckle. "And your boy, Henry: he's a good kid," Ben complimented. "I mean, he seems so mature for his age and all."

Pleasantries about the children were exchanged for a few minutes longer before the topic changed. The two were certainly having a wonderful time. They told about their life (each not giving too much information away), joked, teased, laughed, and really just had a good time.

Benjamin felt strange inside. Not in a bad sense of course. It was a feeling he hadn't had since first realizing he loved Nellie. As if nothing else mattered, and this was true.

"'''''''""'

"Wait, so that little girl in the background, that somewhat blurry picture, is me?" Jamie questioned in disbelief. It didn't seem possible.

Henry nodded a few times slowly. "Yeah, she isn't any main character though, so her story isn't in here. But I'm sure it's you."

Jamie, still skeptical, leaned back and crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? And how can you be so sure?"

Henry shrugged. "The eyes; you have the same eyes."

Looking back again at the picture, Jamie knew Henry was right. But she still didn't want to believe that she had some past life that was ripped from her so she wouldn't be able to have a happy ending. "So? A lot of people have my eye color," Jamie protested.

"No, they don't," Henry shot back, and he was right. Not a lot of people had Jamie's eye color, mainly because the color of her eyes was due to the fact that she was a fairytale character. "Face it Jamie: you're a fairytale character."

Jamie huffed in defeat. Damn, Henry was right. Jamie kept forgetting how smart of a kid he was.

"'''""'''""

In a section of the restaurant, the floor changed from the lovely dark hardwood to a lighter tone; the dance floor. A slow, romantic tune began to play. Benjamin stood up from his seat and offered his hand to Regina like the gentleman he was.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with a subtle grin.

Regina felt her cheeks become a faint shade of pink as she gently grasped Benjamin's hand. "I'd be honored," she said with a smile.

Benjamin led Regina to the dance floor. He placed his hands on her hips as she placed hers on his shoulders. Languidly, they swayed back in forth, just staring intently into each other's eyes. The world around them began to disappear. It was just like how Regina told Jamie: it wasn't love, but it was pretty damn close.

As the song came to a close, Benjamin placed his lips upon Regina's in a loving, gentle kiss.

* * *

**A/N: I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, I must say XD I hope it's an okay chapter because I'm not very good with romance. I tried keeping it simple so I wouldn't mess up too much. **

**Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them!**

**To see Jamie's dress from the fairytale book, put in this link:**

**http reviews/american-mcgees-alice-in-wonderland-costume-dress-and-apron**

**don't remove any of the dashes!**


	18. Chapter 18

Ew, it's Monday. I hate Mondays. I bet you just love Mondays, don't you Archie; because you're weird like that. Anyway, it's not just a typical Monday. Dad and Regina are going out yet again tonight for dinner even though they went out for lunch together on Saturday. It's sickening how much they like each other.

Okay Archie, ready for the shocker? I talked with Dad earlier today, and I think he's in love. Yeah, that's right: in bloody love! With Regina freakin' Mills nonetheless. Am I overreacting? I don't know, you tell me.

Worst of all, I think he wants to propose to her. I saw the ring. He's waiting though. I can tell. They go out about every other day now. They're going out again tonight as I've mentioned before. I think he's going to wait until next week to pop the question. They've only known each other for maybe a little more than month, but they've gone out on twenty something dates already (not that I've been counting). If it's not lunch, it's a dinner date, sometimes both. That leaves me with Henry.

Sweet kid, but something's not right in his head. I don't mean about the fairytales. I believe him about that. What I mean is the fact that he's happy that our parents are going out. I don't know why. Why would he be happy? I mean, he thinks Regina's the Evil Queen; he has to dislike her enough to think that. True, I like the kid too. He even acts like a little brother to me.

I'm not ready for this though. Yeah, I know that this isn't about me; it's about Dad and Regina freakin' Mills. But shouldn't my input be of at least a little value?

Okay, confession time: I had another dream, a fairytale one to be more exact. Remember that one dream, about little Effie Lindelle meeting the queen and being invited for tea? Well, this is the revised version of that and it's not exciting in the least bit. But it's still a fairytale dream. I don't know if it's just Henry being an influence, or maybe… maybe they're memories… Anything's possible, right?

-Jamie

"'''""''"

Effie traipsed down the Queen's road, heading into town. She just needed to escape. Her parents were fighting… again. Luckily, going into town provided a nice escape. Effie heard the distant sound of hoof steps and knew immediately that she needed to get off the road. So she did, watching the carriage roll by.

And then it stopped right in front of her. Effie gulped nervously. She briefly wondered if she should just continue down the road and ignore the carriage that stopped in front of her. No, she couldn't do that. That gave the guards a better chance of stabbing her in the back with a sword.

The carriage door opened, revealing the Evil Queen with her dark hair pinned up and wearing a dress of most regal design. It made Effie feel as if even her clothes wouldn't be acceptable for the Queen's sight. Effie looked down to see her dark green dress that reached just below her knees and white pinafore apron. When she had first put on the outfit, she thought she looked rather refined for a girl of no noble standing. Now that she was in the presence of royalty, she felt very plain.

Regina narrowed her eyes on the girl. She couldn't have been older than twelve and no younger than ten. "And what, may I ask, are you doing traveling along this road?" she asked rather harshly.

Effie stood her ground though, despite the Queen's tone. She was not frightened of the Evil Queen. What was the worst that the queen could do? Rip out her heart? Effie would like to see Regina attempt that. But Effie held her tongue to prevent herself from saying any smart remarks. "I was going into town, your majesty, to run errands for my parents," Effie explained, partially lying. Yes, she was going into town. No, she wasn't running errands for her parents. But the Queen needn't know that.

Regina studied the girl further. "And who are your parents?"

"Victor and Charity Lindelle," Effie answered innocently.

The Queen narrowed her eyes on the girl, as if she didn't believe Effie. "That makes you Persephone, doesn't it?" Regina didn't wait for Effie to confirm that. Effie glared at the Queen. She absolutely hated it when people called her by her full first name.

Named after a goddess, Persephone Lindelle's life was far from one of even being worthy of a goddess. She was nothing less than bourgeois, but no greater than that either.

Regina smirked upon seeing the look Effie had upon her innocent face. "I can see that you aren't exactly fond of your name, Persephone."

Effie snorted. "Who would be? Persephone was the vegetation mythical being. I was named after the vegetable goddess."

"Then I assume you don't know the whole myth of the lovely Persephone," Regina said plainly.

"Of course I do," Effie contradicted. "I'm not stupid. Every idiot in town knows the story of Persephone.

Regina smirked again. This girl was certainly an interesting one. In a way, she reminded Regina of Gretel in the way that they seemed to both be rather headstrong. "Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind telling your version to me?" Regina stepped out of the carriage and began walking. Effie remained where she was and when Regina glanced back; she took that as a sign to follow.

So she did.

"Persephone is… was… is," Effie kept correcting herself, "the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She's said to be very beautiful. Not as beautiful as Aphrodite of course, but then again, no god or goddess could compare to Aphrodite." Effie glanced up to the Queen and saw- much to her surprise- that Regina seemed to actually be listening.

She continued on, "But Persephone was beautiful enough to grab the attention of Hades. He brought her to the Underworld where she was to live forever. A deal was made between Hades and Demeter and Persephone would live in the Underworld for only part of the year, and that part of the year became winter."

When the story was done, the two remained silent for quite some time, almost nearing the village. "Queen of the Underworld," Regina suddenly said.

Effie was perplexed. "I beg your pardon, your highness?"

"You forgot to mention that Persephone became queen of the underworld, carrying into effect the curses of men upon the souls of the dead."

Effie's brow furrowed as she processed this new information. "Mother never told me that part of the story before. She always kept it simple," Effie said quietly.

"You see Persephone,"

"Effie," Effie corrected the Queen, temporarily forgetting her place and treating Regina as an equal.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. My point is, _Persephone_, you really are of noble standing: Queen of the Underworld." Regina offered Effie a friendly smile to show that she was up to no tricks, just being... nice?

Effie paused her walking in thought. Queen of the Underworld… it had a nice ring to it, didn't it? During the rest of the walk to the town, Effie held her head just a little bit higher.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! It took me many tries to write this chapter, but I finally got it. Anyone else super-mega excited for season two?**

* * *

**Pronunciation key:**

**Persephone: Per-sef-ah-nee (not purse-ah-phone!)**

**Hades: Hay-dees**

**Demeter: Dah-mee-ter**

**Aphrodite: Afro-dye-tee or Afro-dee-tee**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is a little different. It's in songfic form to Let It Be, one of my faves and it seemed to fit. This chapter is also a bit darker than the others.**

* * *

The restaurant was dimly lit and not overcrowded, just to Ben and Regina's liking; just another thing they had in common. Ben found himself staring intently at the candle that was centered on the table.

It was peaceful. No Henry- who was at a friend's house- and no Jamie, who was doing God knows what.

Regina found the restaurant to be vaguely familiar. Sheriff Graham had almost taken her there, almost. But she had kindly refused. Now, she was extremely glad she had said no. Coming back now would've stirred too many memories.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Ben said suddenly. It was a bit of surprise that he had said anything at all. "What's it like to be mayor? And be honest."

Despite the fact that Regina and Ben had been going out for about a month, the subject of careers had never come up.

After swallowing the bit of wine she had in her mouth, Regina set down her wine glass. "There are good days and there are bad days." Much like how it had been when she was queen. "Now what's the story behind you and being a barber?"

Benjamin shrugged idly. "All of my life, I've been a barber," which wasn't a lie in the least bit. "It's the only thing I know."

"Well, well, well; fancy meetin' you 'ere Mistah T."

Benjamin mentally cringed at the voice. It was a voice he knew all too well. It was a voice that he had divorced and thought he had left back in London. Benjamin turned his gaze from Regina to see none other than his ex-wife, Nellie.

"What are you doing here, Mrs. Lovett?" the once-Demon Barber growled.

Eleanor smirked. "Wot? Jus' cos we ain't married anymore means ya 'ave to revert back to me old name?"

Benjamin gave Eleanor a death glare that would've killed the undead. "Not now, Mrs Lovett," he said in a warning tone. "As you can see, I am on a date."

Nellie turned and saw Regina for the first time. Nellie hated to admit it, but the woman was very pretty. Regina thought the same about Nellie, but refused to admit it to herself.

Eleanor Lovett was a woman with a pale complexion, but not sickly so. Her dark, sunken eyes were almost hypnotizing and a few dark curls hung in Nellie's face, the rest pinned up like how she used to have it back when she was Nellie Lovett of London, 1847.

"Tha's all very well," Nellie said nonchalantly, quoting what she had said to Sweeney Todd when he revealed to her his epiphany about everyone deserving to die. "But there's somethin' I 'ave to talk to you abou'. Ya see, Jamie called me and told me abou' some things and-"

Ben cut Nellie off. "Jamie called you?" His tone wasn't exactly happy. "She still keeps contact with you?"

Eleanor huffed in annoyance. "'Course she does. She's my daughter, too. Anyway, it's rather urgent. So iffin' ya don' mind..." She glanced to Regina and offered a polite smile. "Sorry to steal 'im away from ya, love. But business is business."

Regina smiled, but her eyes were cold. "I completely understand, _Mrs. Lovett_." She said Nellie's name with a hint of disdain. Regina looked down to see that Ben had placed his hand over hers that had been resting on the table.

"I'll be right back to you," he promised her. Regina's smile became real when Ben gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Quietly, Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd left the restaurant, heading back to Ben's barber shop. Ben was beyond upset with Nellie. What right did she have to come all the way to Maine and interrupt his date? Ben momentarily wondered how Nellie even got enough money for a plane ticket. He then recalled that the Turpins were rather rich, what with Lucy being a nurse and Jonathon being a judge.

"''''""''''""

Jamie sighed quietly as she looked around the backroom of Gold's shop. "Are you sure I'm not being a bother to you?" she asked Mr. Gold for about the hundredth time.

Mr. Gold took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Yes Jamie," he said, almost bitterly. "You are not being a bother. If you were dearie, you would've been out of my sight ages ago." He returned to his work of organizing files. Jamie watched him for lack of anything better to do. That had been the reason she came to Gold's shop: she had nothing better to do.

Mr. Gold did his best to just ignore Jamie hovering behind him, watching his every move as if whatever he was doing was the most interesting thing in the world. She (thankfully) eventually stopped doing that and wandered to the front of the shop.

Jamie beamed when she saw an old phonograph and a few records. Good records too, thankfully. Perfect condition, not a scratch on them: The Beatles. Still grinning brightly, Jamie put the record on and played it.

_When I find myself in times of trouble_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of Wisdom, let it be_

"'''"""''

Nellie and Ben were in the basement of the barber shop. Benjamin- no, now he was Sweeney Todd; in this situation, he was Sweeney Todd- had his hands balled into fists. "Now tell me why you're here," he demanded through partially clenched teeth.

"Jamie called an' talked to me," Nellie explained. "I'm worried, Mistah T. She told me some things... some odd things..."

"And that surprises you?" Sweeney asked, sounding unimpressed.

Nellie huffed. If only he would just let her finish her thoughts! "She tol' me 'ow everyone 'ere used to be a fairytale character an' tha' your little girlfriend there is the Evil Queen who sent the fairytale characters 'ere to our world."

Sweeney's confusion momentarily enshrouded his exasperation. "What in the bloody hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

_And in my hour of darkness_

_She is standing right in front of me_

_Speaking words of wisdom_

_let it be_

"Either Jamie's insane, or there's somethin' goin' on 'ere Mistah T," Nellie insisted. She took hold of Sweeney's hands. "Listen to me, Mistah T. Jus' for once, please listen to me. I don't think Jamie is insane. And I mean, wot with wot 'appened to us, comin' back from a past life in all, I think she's righ'."

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom_

_Let it be_

Sweeney took a deep breath, wrenching his hands away from Mrs. Lovett's grasp. He began to pace, something he always did when contemplating things. Back and forth, back and forth. "Mrs. Lovett," he spat. "You are bloody mad. Regina is no Evil Queen and no one here is bloody fairytale character." In his mind, Eleanor could've been making this all up for all he knew.

Nellie refused to just leave it at that though. Sweeney had to believe her when she said what Jamie had told her!

_And when the brokenhearted people_

_Living in the world agree_

_There will be an answer, let it be_

_For though they may be parted_

_There is still a chance that they will see_

_There will be an answer, let it be_

"Mistah T, jus' think about it for a moment, please. Jamie is not insane. And don't say tha' it's 'er medication, cos it ain't, I jus' know it ain't." Based on Sweeney's expression though, Mrs. Lovett knew she wasn't getting through to him. "An' even if I wasn't told this, I still 'ave a funny feelin' 'bout your girlfriend."

Mentioning Regina just frustrated Sweeney even more. He finally found someone he cared for deeply, even more so than Mrs. Lovett when they were married. And here was Mrs Lovett to ruin it, just like she ruined just about everything.

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom_

_Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, yeah, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom_

_Let it be_

"Mrs. Lovett, I suggest you shut your god forsaken mouth this instant, or I swear to god!"

"Wot will ya do, Mistah T? Kill me again?" Of course, Mrs. Lovett hadn't forgotten the time Sweeney Todd murdered her by throwing her into the oven in the bake house. And what had she done when she had come back into this life? She had learned forgiveness and tried to forget. That was the history of the world, after all.

_And when the night is cloudy_

_There is still a light that shines on me_

_Shine on until tomorrow, let it be_

Sweeney Todd reached into the pocket of his trousers; pulling out one of his razors- he always carried at least one silver friend around with him- and watching it gleam in the dim light of the barber shop basement. He revealed the blade and Eleanor gulped. There would be no burning of her body this time... at least the end will be quicker than before. Sweeney raised the razor up and sliced in one swift motion.

'''''"''""''""

"_I wake up to the sound of music_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_," Jamie sang along. Within the next moment, the music abruptly stopped. She turned and saw a not-so-happy Mr. Gold. "Sorry," Jamie apologized sheepishly.

Mr. Gold rolled his eyes. He had to keep reminding himself that Jamie was only fourteen years old. He grinned faintly and a bit sadly at the memory of his own child, Baelfire. "It's quite alright dearie. But it's getting late. Shouldn't you be heading home?"

Jamie shrugged. "Dad's out on a date; I don't know when he'll be back."

"''""''"'

The blood, the one thing Sweeney never forgot was the blood. Except for how messy things got, of course. Sweeney did his best to clean up the blood. He changed into a spare shirt that he had upstairs in the backroom of the shop.

Finally, things were up to Sweeney's standards. And then, the Demon Barber in him started to fade. He was back to Benjamin, and Benjamin had a date to get back to. Hurriedly, Benjamin returned to the restaurant. And there was Regina, looking as if she had hardly moved.

Benjamin grinned and returned his seat across from her. Regina raised her eyebrows. "So how did things go with Mrs. Lovett?" Regina questioned.

Benjamin's grin didn't falter. He kept up his act despite knowing what he had done to Mrs. Lovett. "Things went alright. She just wanted to talk; turned out to be nothing."

Regina nodded slowly. "Mh-hm... good. So, dessert?"


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Not my best chapter I'm afraid to say. I'm not very good with romance :/ Future chapters will be better though. Thank you all so, so much for the lovely reviews! **

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"I must say Benjamin; I had a wonderful time tonight."

Ben grinned cockily. "Was there every any doubt?"

Regina found that she was grinning faintly as Benjamin walked with her up to the front door of her house from his car. Benjamin cleared his throat quietly. "I uh, I would like to apologize for my ex-wife's interruption earlier. I assure you that she won't be doing it again." He held back his wicked smirk.

Regina brushed off Benjamin's apology. "Things happen," she said with a small shrug.

The two stood outside her doorway. Henry was in his bed, asleep since it was a school night. Benjamin hadn't the foggiest idea as to where Jamie could be. Probably home in her room, listening to her iPod. At that moment though, the children didn't matter. Benjamin stared deeply into Regina's dark, hypnotizing eyes. He didn't try to hide the fact that he was so taken with her beauty.

Benjamin placed a gentle hand on Regina's cheek, his thumb gently caressing her skin. Yes, he had bought a ring, but not for proposing like Jamie thought. It was only a commitment ring; a commitment ring that was in his pocket at that moment, just waiting to be presented.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Benjamin leaned down and kissed Regina, softly at first and then with a bit more passion. Regina kissed back gently, as if afraid to commit. Truth be told, she _was_ a little afraid. The last two times she committed to a relationship, both men ended up dead. She felt so safe with Ben though. Maybe this time was right. Perhaps Benjamin was the one she was meant to be with.

Of course, Regina would never forget about Daniel. He would always be the one to first capture her heart. When he died, Regina died with him- metaphorically of course. Recently though, Regina had been feeling as if it was okay to love Ben. Being with Ben was freeing, and gave her the sense of protection. It was as if Daniel was silently, secretly telling her that it was okay to move on, more so than she did when she was with Graham. A little too lost in her thoughts; it took Regina a few seconds to realize that Benjamin's tongue was brushing against her own as he French kissed her.

The two of them pulled away simultaneously. Just by looking into Benjamin's rather haunting eyes, Regina knew they were thinking the same thing. Regina opened her mouth, not sure if this was really happening.

Regina said, "I love you," and she smiled brightly when she heard Benjamin say the same thing at the same time. They embraced and Benjamin sneakily reached into his pocket, pulling out the small box that held the commitment ring.

"Regina," he said quietly when they released each other from embrace. "I've known you for a little over a month and I can honestly say those weeks have been the greatest of my life." Benjamin opened the box, revealing the ring. "I know it's not an engagement ring; that I want to wait for. Right now though," he slipped the ring on her finger, "I hope you will accept this."

Regina smiled fondly down at the ring that sparkled on her finger. It was beautiful; simple, but beautiful. She didn't answer Ben with words. Instead, she kissed him with as much fervor she could muster.

Even though she didn't answer with words, Benjamin knew she meant "yes" and that made him feel very, very happy.

Neither of them noticed the grinning Henry watching them from his bedroom window.

"''''"'

Jamie stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, arms crossed as they rested on her abdomen. Ben still wasn't home. She didn't expect him to be home early of course, but she didn't expect him to be so late. She abruptly stood up from her bed and began to pace, a habit she picked up from Benjamin.

As she paced, Jamie gently fingered her locket. Thinking back, Jamie couldn't recall ever getting the locket. In truth, she couldn't recall her parents or brother. They were real, right? Her head had been filled with thoughts of her parents dying and her brother dying, but she couldn't remember anything else about them. She couldn't remember being any age younger than fourteen!

This only proved to her that Henry was right and that she had been a fairytale character. Why did the Curse send her to Florida then? Why not just send her to Storybrooke like the rest of the characters. Jamie desperately wanted answers. Perhaps she would borrow that book of Henry's to find some. She then recalled that Henry said her assumed fairytale counterpart wasn't mentioned. Damn.

Jamie took off her locket and stared at it. This locket had to mean something. She didn't know what though. She began to think that maybe, just maybe the answer to at least some of her question rested within the locket. But the blasted thing wouldn't open!

In frustration, Jamie threw the locket against the wall with a cry of frustration. At that moment, Benjamin walked into the house.

He was in a daze of sorts, love struck. Regina had accepted the commitment ring, a silent promise that they would be together until he would give her an engagement that he felt she deserved. Yes, he wanted to marry her. But he would wait. He knew it was best to wait.

Besides, he still had Nellie to deal with. No one could find out that it was he who killed Nellie. No one could know that Nellie's body was currently rotting away in the basement of his shop. As he thought about what to do, the more he realized that it was most likely for Nellie's body to be discovered by Regina and/or Jamie. He couldn't risk that. Yes, he just slipped a commitment ring on Regina's finger. But he would have to take steps to make sure that his dirty little secret stayed that way: a secret.

"''"''""

Jamie glared at the locket. It wouldn't open. But then her glare turned into a gaze of thoughtfulness. Regina had taken quite the interest in the locket. That had to mean something, right?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Okay, long chapter for you guys! Thanks for the lovely reviews! I'm going away to music camp for two weeks. Yes, I will be bringing my laptop, but because it's set up like school, I won't be able to type as often as I'd like. So updates may come slower for the next two weeks.**

* * *

Benjamin had avoided Jamie and Regina and just about everyone for three days. He didn't come out of his room for dinner, didn't open the shop for customers. It was as if Sweeney was taking over again. And why shouldn't he? Sweeney had every right to come back. Benjamin Barker came back in the form of Benjamin Todd; now it was Sweeney's turn to experience life again.

"They all deserve to die," Sweeney muttered to himself as he paced in his shop. The smell of death reached his nose, but it didn't bother him. He was all too familiar with the scent. Actually, he was mostly familiar with the scent of burning flesh when Mrs. Lovett would take the bodies of his victims and bake them into meat pies.

"Now surely you don't mean that, Mr. Todd," a voice mocked from the barber shop doorway. Benjamin turned to see Mr. Gold standing in the threshold wearing a wicked grin.

Sweeney narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Gold," he said curtly. "And what is it that you want?"

Mr. Gold idly stepped into the shop, looking around. "Well Mr. Todd, I'm afraid that I've come for... an inspection if you will." Benjamin stiffened. "You see, as I was passing by, I noticed a rather odd smell comin' from your shop. It smelled a lot like... death." Mr. Gold locked gazes with Sweeney. "So if you don't mind..."

Gold started to walk towards the basement door when Sweeney hampered his path. "I don't think that would be a very good idea, Mr. Gold," Sweeney seethed with disdain.

Gold merely smirked. "And why is that, Mr. Todd? You wouldn't happen to be hiding something now, would you?"

Sweeney tightly clutched his silver razor that he kept in his hand. He briefly considered killing Mr. Gold right then and there. But he quickly disposed of this idea, knowing that Mr. Gold was too well known in Storybrooke and it would definitely raise suspicions if he went missing.

"I'm willing to make a deal with you," Gold said, catching Sweeney's slight interest.

Sweeney dared to take a step towards Mr. Gold. "And what deal are you willing to propose?" he asked quietly, not dropping his threatening, dark tone of voice.

Mr. Gold moved towards the barber's chair, resting his arm that didn't hold his cane across the top. "I'll keep quiet about whatever it is," so far, the deal sounded appealing to Sweeney, "if you bring Jamie to me and let me deal with her."

The price greatly confused Sweeney and angered him further. "Why?" the barber demanded. He didn't exactly like the picture Mr. Gold was painting with his words and Mr. Gold sensed this.

"Not to cause her any harm of course," at least not in the perverted sense. "I merely want to talk with her." Mr. Gold was more than sure that Jamie knew about the curse and who he had been before the curse. True, Henry knew about the curse too, but Jamie had direct ties with the Demon Barber who wasn't afraid to kill anyone and if the truth got out, there would be hell to pay. Mr. Gold had to convince Jamie that the curse was just the result of Henry's overactive imagination.

Sweeney Todd grumbled dark, incoherent mutterings, beginning to pace. He couldn't just hand over the girl! But he couldn't allow Mr. Gold to discover what was hidden in the basement…

"''"""

Days had passed. Over that time, the smell of rotting flesh had become stronger than ever. Benjamin had been surprised that there hadn't been complaints. Then again, Ben supposed that Mr. Gold was keeping up his end of the deal by keeping quiet. That and Benjamin had done his best to deal with the smell. Speaking of deals… Benjamin took out his mobile phone and called Jamie.

"Hello?" Jamie answered.

"Head over to Gold's shop now."

"Why?"

Benjamin hung up before answering Jamie's question. The teen huffed in annoyance. It felt to her like Benjamin was avoiding her on purpose. Knowing Ben, he probably was. Jamie wanted to know why though. She had been temporarily banned from the shop as well, for reasons that Ben refused to share, which struck Jamie was odd. She had always been welcomed in his shop, always, whether it be in Storybrooke or London.

The better option might have been to call Benjamin back and demand that he tell her what was going on, but Jamie just did as she had been told and went to Gold's shop.

"'''""""'

With hesitant steps, Jamie entered the dimly illuminated pawnshop.

"Mr. Gold?" Jamie called out, for the man was nowhere in sight.

"Miss Todd," a voice suddenly said. Jamie gasped in surprise and whirled around to face whomever the voice belonged to. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Mr. Gold

Jamie took a moment to regain her bearings before saying, "My father said to come here. That's all he told me."

Mr. Gold grinned. It was very faint, but there nonetheless. Benjamin had kept his part of the deal, not that Mr. Gold expected anything less. "Yes, of course." Mr. Gold extended his arm out towards the door, gesturing to it. "Care to go for a little stroll while we chat?"

Jamie did not smile, just kept an objective countenance, something she had learned to do thanks to Benjamin. "Sure."

"''""'

Regina entered the barber shop having been on lunch break. She was completely unaffected by the scent of death, unaware that it was even present. This was due to the fact that Benjamin had done something to cover up the smell of Nellie's decaying corpse and whatever stench had remained was hardly noticeable.

"Regina," Benjamin greeted Regina with a slight abrasive tone.

Ben's tone of voice did not go unnoticed by Regina, but she ignored it. Benjamin made up for it by placing a gently kiss upon her lips.

A kiss shared with Benjamin was nothing like a kiss shared with Graham, or Daniel. Naturally, Regina preferred Daniel, her first and only true love. Being with Benjamin though, was better than being with Graham.

"''""''

"How did you know?" Jamie asked, perplexed. Mr. Gold had just introduced to Jamie that he was fully aware of what she and Henry knew about the Curse.

Mr. Gold smirked. "I have my ways."

"So the Curse is real?" Jamie was sure that the Curse was real. Everything Henry had told her about it made sense!

"Perhaps, but perhaps not," Gold said mysteriously. He was not going to deny ever living a life as the omnipotent Dark One. He wasn't going to come clean about it either.

It was only too easy to sense that Mr. Gold wasn't telling the whole truth. "What are you hiding from me?" Jamie demanded.

"It's not me who's hiding things from you dearie," Mr. Gold insisted as they stopped walking, partially lying.

Jamie turned her head to see the shop they had stopped in front of: Benjamin's barber shop. With one last quick glance to Gold, Jamie burst into the shop, determination etched onto her face. "What are you hiding?" she challenged Ben.

Benjamin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Jamie, what are you…?"

Jamie cut him off though. She pushed between him and Regina to get to the basement door. Benjamin clutched Jamie's arm tightly to prevent her from opening the basement door. Jamie yanked her arm away from Ben's grasp though and flung open the basement door.

"Benjamin, what is going on?" Regina asked, sounding a bit concerned, and she was. Jamie was not acting like herself and neither was Ben!

"I have no idea," Ben lied. He knew exactly what was going on. It was only too obvious that Jamie had somehow found out about what happened to Nellie.

Benjamin hurried down the stairs of the basement, Regina in tow. The basement was dark and no one could see. Jamie knew her way around the basement though, which was enough for her to find the light switch. Before the words "Jamie, don't!" could escape Benjamin's mouth, Jamie flicked on the light.

Someone was screaming, loudly when the lights were turned on and the horrifying sight of a dead Mrs. Lovett shoved in the corner was revealed. It took Jamie a moment to realize that she herself was the one who had screamed.

Mrs. Lovett's once pale flesh had turned a light shade of grey, full lips now dried and of no color. At least Nellie's eyes were closed…

Jamie's vision became blurry as her eyes became replete with tears. She tried to just blink the tears away, but this only caused them to slide down her pallid cheeks. Jamie turned away from the horrid sight and was immediately greeted with a pair of arms around her body, holding her close.

It was Regina.

This all felt so unreal, so very dreamlike. Well, more of nightmarish. Jamie rested her head on Regina's shoulder and sobbed.

And sobbed.

And sobbed.

And sobbed.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: This may be the last chapter for a while. It was so much fun to write! Thanks for all of the lovely reviews! **

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Everything was going wrong. Benjamin was being held in the cell down at the Sheriff's Station until further notice. Things were looking grim. It was only too obvious that Benjamin, the prime suspect, would be convicted. All evidence of the murder pointed towards him, and Benjamin wasn't admitting to anything. That didn't mean he was denying it all either.

And what did that leave Jamie with? A shattered heart, an empty gaze, and temporarily living with Regina Mills. So far, she had been there for four days and had hardly come out of the guest room. Jamie spent practically all of her time sitting at the bay window, staring at the world, but not seeing anything.

There was a point in time where Regina would knock at the door and wait for Jamie to answer. She was worried about the teen, which surprised her. Regina supposed she had grown used to Jamie's sarcastic comments every now and then and the way she would make Henry smile whenever they hung out. The first few times, Jamie would make some sort of stifled noise that could probably be translated to: come in. But when Jamie stopped saying anything at all, Regina had taken to just walking in after knocking without waiting for a response.

When Regina walked into the guest room, it did not surprise her that Jamie was sitting at the bay window, staring without seeing. It looked as if she hadn't moved at all the past few days. Regina doubted Jamie even slept at night anymore. That had to change though. "Jamie," Regina said firmly from behind Jamie. The teenager didn't flinch, acted as if she were ignoring Regina's presence. "Jamie," Regina repeated, placing a gentle hand on Jamie's shoulder.

This got a reaction out of Jamie. The teenager stood up, pulling away from Regina's touch. "Leave me alone," the teen snapped as she crossed her arms and glared at the mayor.

Regina huffed, trying to remain calm. If this were the fairytale realm, Jamie would've been sent to the dungeons immediately for her behavior towards the Queen.

This was the modern world though and the circumstances weren't the same. Regina took Jamie's hands into her own and sat the girl down on the bed. Regina took a seat beside Jamie and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Tell me what's on your mind," she whispered.

Jamie sniffled quietly. "Seriously? My mum was murdered, my dad's in jail, I'm stuck in this hell hole, and you want me to tell you what's on my mind?"

"Shh, Jamie, relax," Regina said soothingly. She had become quite skilled with making children calm down ever since adopting Henry. "I take it back; you don't have to talk. Just sit here if you want."

So Jamie did sit. She just sat there in silence, trying not to cry anymore. In her opinion, she had cried enough. There was no need for more tears to be shed. Still, Jamie cried some more. Regina brought her other arm around Jamie so she was hugging the girl. Jamie buried her face in the crook of Regina's neck and sobbed for half an hour.

When the tears finally subsided, Jamie pulled away from Regina, trying to steady her breath. "Are you all right now?" Regina queried.

Jamie nodded a few times, cheeks tear-stained and eyes reddened and slightly puffy. "Yeah, I... I think so." Her voice was shaky, but Jamie believed that she would be all right at least for the time being. She was convinced though that she would fall into the same routine of just staring out the window the next day.

Regina kissed Jamie's forehead. This action surprised the both of them, but neither commented. "Let me know if you need anything." And with that, Regina left.

Jamie lay on the bed for what felt like hours. It turned out to be only fifteen minutes. Time didn't matter to her anymore. Luckily, Henry came in. Jamie had a feeling that he would be able to cheer her up just a bit. He hadn't spoken to her since she isolated herself in the room. He had his fairytale book resting in his hands, opened up to a specific page. He smiled weakly as he got onto the bed.

"Hey Henry," Jamie said quietly, as friendly as she could manage, sounding a bit congested. She quickly looked at the page that the fairytale book was opened up to and frowned slightly, brow furrowed in confusion. "But this story's about..."

"I know," Henry said, cutting Jamie off. "I didn't think this story was in here. But it just appeared. Kind of like how it did with Pinocchio's story. I read kind of fast when I first saw it. I think you really need to read it though since it's about you-know-who."

Jamie sighed. She wasn't exactly in the mood for reading anything, no matter what it was about. But Henry did have a point. She should read it since it was about her alternate named Effie. "Alright, I'll read it," Jamie said, giving in.

Henry flashed a grin. "Great. I'll leave you to it then." He then left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Jamie in peace to read.

It seemed like such a strange thing to Jamie. She had lived this whole other life and couldn't remember a single thing about it! Well, there were those dreams, but she figured the dreams were altered memories. Here though, here lay the answers. Hopefully the next few pages would tell her all that she needed to know about her past life as Persephone Lindelle.

Jamie read the first line of the story and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, the classic cliché beginning; she shouldn't have expected anything else. It was the same title as the book. Once upon a time... that sentence always bothered Jamie. It was never specific enough for her. Once upon a time; what time? When was this happening? How long ago? Despite that little irking factor, Jamie continued to read.

Once upon a time…


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Okay, so I typed up about three more chapters, yay! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. This chapter is written in Stephen King style since I just finished reading The Shining XD Enjoy!**

* * *

They just stared at each other. Neither said a word, not that there was anything to say.

Ben sat on the edge of the cot, slightly hunched over. Regina leaned against Sheriff Swan's desk on the opposite side of the bars. It was Regina to make the first utterance.

"How could you, Ben?"

If it were anyone else say things words- even Jamie- it wouldn't have affected him in the least bit. But to hear those words coming from Regina's delightfully intoxicating lips, it hurt a little.

Ben stood up and grasped the cell bars with both hands. "If all you're going to do is reprimand, then I suggest you leave," he growled menacingly. Hatred with a dash of guilt burned in his eyes as he glared murderously at Regina.

Despite his words, Benjamin didn't want Regina to leave and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't want to leave either.

Regina pushed herself gently away from the desk and strode up to the cell, almost touching the bars but not quite. In truth, she felt betrayed. She hadn't loved anyone since Daniel. Then Ben came along and all of that changed. Now he was in jail and they could only see each other through the bars of the holding cell. And on top of that, that left Regina with Jamie. She didn't have time to look after another child, not matter how much of a (supposedly) mature teenager Jamie was (more of claimed to be).

(_How could you, Ben? How could you, Ben? How could you…_)

The words continued to echo endlessly in Benjamin's mind. He didn't know the answer. Benjamin –Sweeney- Todd was a man that hated not knowing answers; that hated not knowing outcomes. He didn't know the outcome of killing Nellie, yet he did it anyone. Benjamin supposed the real question was: Why-

(_Because she was so bloody annoying and wouldn't keep her nose out of other people's business!_)

-did he do it?

He wasn't going to apologize for his actions. He had a reason for what he had done. There was no going back in time to change things and he-

(_felt like he should for Jamie's sake_)

-didn't want to. Things were fine just the way they were… except for his current predicament of being in jail.

Regina, for an instant, felt rage begin to develop beneath her breast, right in her heart: a heart that had turned cold and then was melted, only to be refrozen again.

(_How could he do this to me? After what he had said; after what I had said! I loved him. He loved me._)

Both were still silent for quite some time.

"I still do," Benjamin muttered quietly, bitterly.

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?" she questioned, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

"Love you. I still do," Benjamin clarified, and Regina had to think:

(_Did he read my mind?_)

That didn't matter though. He still did. Not that it made much difference, but he still loved her. Regina opened her mouth to respond, but instead of saying "I still love you, too" in return, she said, "Jamie is very upset about this. She refuses to eat. She refuses to sleep. She won't take her pills." And Jamie needed her pills more than anything now.

Benjamin seemed to become a bit more alert when Regina had said that. "Force her," he stated plainly. "Shove it down her throat if you have to." That was what he had to do when Jamie had first been prescribed the medication.

"Benjamin, I'm not doing that," Regina argued.

Benjamin could've reached through the bars and grabbed Regina's throat. Yes, he still did love her, but that didn't mean that he wasn't annoyed with her. "Leave me," he uttered darkly.

Regina didn't leave. She stayed there, staring at him with her familiar threatening, regal gaze.

"Leave. Me," Benjamin repeated a bit harshly.

Regina did.

"'''"""''""

Once upon a time….

"''""''

Jamie skimmed the first part of the story. It merely described her dream of the Queen telling Persephone about the goddess who was Queen of the Underworld. The next part captured Jamie's interest.

""''""'

Persephone later returned home, grinning faintly. When Charity Lindelle, her mother, saw this, she raised her eyebrows in amusement. "What has you so cheerful, dear?" Charity asked her daughter.

Effie beamed brighter. "I spoke with the Queen today Mother," the girl said happily and proudly.

Charity's gaze darkened. "Oh? And what about?" Charity didn't want her daughter associating with Regina in any way. Regina was the Evil Queen after all.

"I met her on the road and we just talked. She was…" Effie trailed off, knowing that speaking of the Queen always upset her mother.

Charity placed a hand on Effie's shoulder. "What was what darling? Tell me," Charity said in a saccharine voice.

Effie bit her lower lip, hesitating in telling Charity anything. For some odd reason, that reason being unbeknownst to Persephone, Charity hated the Queen more than anyone. "She was… nice," Persephone whispered before hurrying off to her bedroom upstairs. She made sure that her door was shut securely.

"''"""

Jamie had to laugh at this. It was so interesting and entertaining to think that a long time ago- if Henry's theory about the Curse was right- this had been her.

"'''"''

Run away, that was the only thing on Effie's mind.

(_You can't run away, Persephone. It will be only too easy to find you if Mother and Father come looking for you!_)

So Effie had to think. What to do, what to do, what to do… one location came to mind. There was one place that no one would find her: the Infinite Forest. It was the perfect place. She would just travel into the wood and would live there the rest of her life. No worrying about pleasing her mother. No worrying about anything!

It was- (_too_) -perfect.

Meanwhile, because she was too lost in her own thoughts, Effie didn't hear the sudden arrival of the Evil Queen, Regina.

"''""'

Charity glared angrily at Regina, hands balled into fists. One could practically see the fire in Charity's eyes. This only made Regina feel more confident; she had the upper hand.

"Charity Lindelle, how good to see you again," Regina said saccharinely.

"Leave this place, Regina," Charity warned. "You are not welcome here."

Regina feigned a hurt expression. "Why Charity, I merely come to say hello to a friend. There is no need for such a harsh tone." Regina's smirk became prominent when she noticed Charity's fists tighten, Charity's nails digging into the palms of her hands.

"My husband is not around for you to say hello to, so you can just be on your way."

Regina took a few steps further into the Lindelle home, feeling very superior in the presence of the bourgeois. The place was very neat and tidy, but definitely not high standard. "Not your husband," she corrected, facing Charity once more. "How is Victor doing anyway?"

"Much better since he stopped being one of your knights," Charity stated with much disdain. She hated Regina for making Victor do such horrid acts such as killing other men from other kingdoms and making sure prisoners were close to death until they were begging for it, unless Regina said otherwise. "And if you're not here for Victor, then who are you here for?"

At this time, Effie had wandered downstairs with a rucksack slung over her shoulder filled with random knickknacks. Charity raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Persephone," she said gently. Effie stopped in her tracks and looked to Charity, briefly glancing over to Regina but not doing much else to acknowledge the existence of the Queen. "What exactly are you doing?"

Effie took a deep breath, feeling confident. Nothing was going to stop her from running away, not even Charity Lindelle. "Running away to the Infinite Forest where I will live for the rest of my life."

Regina scoffed. "Ha! As if you could survive in the Infinite Forest," she mocked, looking Effie over. This was the same girl she had met on the road, yet a different person at the same time. This Persephone Lindelle that stood before her seemed more defiant, more daring, though not much time had passed since their meeting.

"I could to!" Effie argued, crossing her arms. She forgot that she was speaking to royalty and that she must act respectfully. This was her dignity that she was protecting! She wasn't a young child anymore and had to prove that to the world. "It would be easy. I can hunt… sort of." Actually, she couldn't hunt at all. She couldn't even tell the difference between a poisonous and nonpoisonous plant.

"Well, lucky for you, you won't have to do any sort of hunting anytime soon," Regina said, taking up her kind tone of voice again. It wasn't saccharine, it was real.

Charity felt the sense of dread build up inside of her and Effie felt confused. "And how can you be so sure?" the girl asked, letting the rucksack slide down her arm, as if meaning to put it down.

"Because," Regina said matter-of-factly, "I'm inviting you to my castle for afternoon tea and I know you will accept."

Persephone raised her eyebrows in amusement, a certain giddiness that she didn't dare show swelling in her chest. She- a mere commoner! - invited to the Evil Queen's castle for tea. Well, when put into the words of "the Evil Queen's castle," it didn't sound all that good. But in the mind of the young girl, it was just a new adventure.

"Mother, Father, I'm home!" the voice of Nathaniel, Persephone's brother, cried out as he entered the house. He stopped short at the sight of Regina. Remembering his manners (_Because he's just so bloody perfect,_ Persephone thought rather bitterly) Nathaniel bowed in respect.

Regina looked over Nathaniel, smirking. "Charity, you're children are more polite than you are," she said with slight triumph. Charity bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything idiotic.

Nathaniel, meanwhile, had eased his way over to Effie. "What's going on?" he whispered to her in a low tone so he would not be overheard.

Effie beamed conceitedly. "The Queen has invited me to her castle," she boasted. Finally, she had achieved something far greater than her brother: being recognized by royalty.

"Quite," Regina interjected. "Now Persephone-"

"Effie," Persephone corrected.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Effie," she said, slightly annoyed at being corrected. "Come along."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Here's where things get interesting! There's a better chance that I won't be able to post until July 14th, so please bear with me! Summer camp's almost done and then I'll be able to update like I used to, I promise! Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!**

* * *

Jamie stood across from Ben, the cell bars creating a barrier between them. Jamie was thankful for that. If it weren't for the bars, she probably would've strangled Benjamin.

"Why?"

Benjamin glared. "You're not the first to ask," he muttered darkly, beginning to pace: a habit of his. "And I have my reasons."

Jamie huffed in exasperation. "You may have your reasons, but this isn't like before Sweeney!" she exclaimed, the Demon Barber's name accidently slipping from between her lips.

Angered by the use of his old name, Benjamin reached through the bars; Jamie being close enough for him to wrap a hand around her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply. "Don't _ever _use that name again Little Miss," he warned.

Jamie was, of course, panicked. She couldn't breathe! But she didn't let the panic show. She just held her breath to prevent herself from gasping for air. Thankfully, Benjamin released his grip on her neck. Cautiously, Jamie stepped away from the cell so that wouldn't happen again. "I will use that name again," she protested. "Because it's who you are. It's who you've become again!"

Collecting herself, Jamie continued, "Like I said before: this isn't like last time. Nellie didn't lie about your first wife being dead this time."

The memory of that event was so vivid in Sweeney's mind. He could still clearly hear Nellie's voice.

_No, no, not lied at all_

_No, I never lied_

_Said she took the poison; she did_

_Never said that she died…_

"Poor thing…" Sweeney murmured, trailing off as he became lost in thought. Jamie snapped her fingers to gain Sweeney's attention again.

"Yo, earth to Mister T.," Jamie said with mockery. Sweeney simply glared, which was to be expected.

Someone from behind Jamie cleared their throat. "Excuse me, Miss Todd," Mr. Gold intruded. "But I'd like to have a little chat with your father… alone."

Jamie looked Mr. Gold up and down, as if deciding if he were to be trusted or not. "Why?"

Mr. Gold smirked faintly. "I believe an attorney has the right to be alone with his client for a little while, don't you think?"

After waiting for a few moments (during which time she looked from Mr. Gold to Sweeney) Jamie agreed. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow," she told Sweeney, and then walked out before another word could be said to her.

"''"""'"

It had been a few years since Persephone had had tea with Regina. They hadn't seen much of each other since, much to Persephone's family's relief. They didn't like the fact that little (though not so little anymore) Persephone could now be associated with the Evil Queen at least on an acquaintance level.

(_I'm not a child anymore; I can take care of myself!_)

And being the age of fourteen, it was true that she was no longer a child. That did not mean that she still didn't need guidance.

As Effie trekked through the forest near her house, a short cut as it were, the scent of burning wood filled her nose. She merely brushed it off though. Effie had smelled burning wood many a time before since a number of neighbors had fire pits in their backyards for cooking and social gatherings.

Persephone clutched her necklace tightly. It was a few years old now. Effie smiled faintly as she recalled when she was given the chaste silver locket. It had been a gift, presented to her by…

"''"''"

The park was thankfully unoccupied. Jamie would hate having to deal with people at the moment, even Henry.

As she fiddled with her locket, Jamie thought about what she had read in the fairytale story so far. "Persephone… me… Persephone," Jamie kept correcting herself, "just arrived at the Queen's castle for tea," she said aloud. Right, nothing entirely interesting happening yet.

Jamie became vaguely aware of another presence. She looked up from the bottom of the slide to see none other than Emma Swan.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emma asked idly.

Jamie smirked. "No way, my thoughts are totally worth five dollars," she joked, matching Emma's grin.

Emma crossed her arms and looked Jamie over. "You're the Todd kid, right?"

Gravely, Jamie nodded as her smile faltered. "Yeah, that's me: daughter of the murderer." The disdain in her voice was hard to miss.

"Uh, listen," Emma began uneasily. "It doesn't look like I'm just going to be able to let your dad go." Jamie said nothing. It wasn't as if she expected Ben- Sweeney- to be released any time soon, let alone at all.

Jamie then understood what Emma was getting at. Her (adoptive) mother was dead and her (adoptive) father was more than likely going to be put into prison.

She would be thrown back into the orphanage if not the foster care system.

And then, like a miracle (if she could be called a miracle), Regina appeared. "Ms. Swan," she greeted curtly.

Emma inwardly cringed. Great, just what she needed: the mayor. "Madam Mayor. Is there something I could help you with, or did you just interrupt for no reason?"

"I have a reason, Ms. Swan," Regina snapped. "What you're talking about with Miss Todd here _does _concern me."

Emma raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "Oh really? Funny you should say that since I haven't said a thing that concerns you.

Jamie stifled a laugh as best she could. This was extremely entertaining. Regina glanced over to Jamie, but said nothing to the girl.

"You were going to talk with Jamie about living arrangements, I presume?" Jamie's name rolled so naturally off of Regina's tongue, though she hardly ever used it.

"Yeah," Emma confirmed. "I still don't see how that concerns you." If it were up to her, Regina wouldn't be involved at all. But Emma was merely sheriff, practically nothing compared to the mayor.

Regina again glanced over to Jamie and in that instant Jamie knew what was going to happen.

(_Do I want it to happen? Technically it's been happening already… still; making it official seems kind of weird…_)

"She's going to stay with me," Regina said firmly, still looking at Jamie. The two held each other's gazes, Jamie reaching up and gently clutching the silver locket.

Emma Swan couldn't believe what she had just heard: Regina agreeing to take in another child? She supposed it did make partial sense since said child's father was, or at least had been, dating Regina.

"Fine," Emma agreed with a sigh. "She stays with you… for now." Emma didn't want to have to put Jamie into the system since she knew how hard such a life could be. But a life with Regina wasn't one to live either as far as Emma knew.

Emma Swan left, Regina stayed. Jamie did nothing, just continued to hold her locket.

"It still won't open?" Regina asked.

The teen nodded in response. In the next moment, Regina gently grabbed Jamie's arm, guiding her to a standing upright position. She took the necklace off of Jamie and stared at it. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, as if not really seeing. Then, she placed a soft kiss upon the silver of the locket and handed it back to Jamie.

Terribly confused, Jamie sensed that she should try to open the locket at least one more time. So she did. As if by magic, the locket opened, revealing a beautiful, small drawing of a moon flower.

The memories came rushing back to Jamie.


	25. Chapter 25

Her mouth was open, but no words spilled out. Everything, she remembered everything… every last bitter, horrid detail of her past life. Suddenly, Jamie could almost smell smoke. Nothing was on fire; nothing was burning except for the house in her memories.

The screams came next. They were all in Jamie's head, but they made her ears ring. Mother, Father, Cole- Nathaniel?- all burning to death in the house. No, that wasn't true. Cole- Nathaniel?- had survived.

'''""'''

Dry mouth, watery eyes, a few tears sliding down pallid cheeks. Effie knew she was shaking slightly. It couldn't be helped.

"Persephone," Nathaniel said softly. He placed a hand firmly on his sister's shoulder, attempting to bring her back to reality. She was brought back, but it wouldn't last for very long. "Effie, it's time to come home. You can return tomorrow."

Effie's eyes never left the sight of her parents' graves. It had been a few weeks since the deaths of Charity and Victor Lindelle. Effie figured that gave her the right to still grieve. Subconsciously, she began to fiddle with the silver locket.

Rolling his eyes, Nathaniel said, "Will you please take that necklace off? It was from the Queen and she cannot be trusted. You know that."

"I don't care, Nathaniel," Effie snapped harshly. She slowly looked over to Nathaniel, reddish brown eyes moist with tears that had not been shed yet. "Honestly, I don't care." Her voice was shaky as she held back sobs.

It was an understatement to say that Effie was jealous of Nathaniel at that moment. He was just so picture perfect, the preferred child.

Perfect blonde hair, vibrant Caribbean blue eyes, not to mention his ever-so-charming smile; Nathaniel was truly perfect. And he kept himself so well composed. It angered Effie. Why wasn't he mourning the loss of their parents? Didn't he love them enough to do so? She was also desirous of the fact that he kept his cool so easily. She felt weak wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Persephone had once more thought about running away. It would be simple. She recalled thinking about running away before when Regina came to their home before it… well, went up in flames. The Infinite Forest didn't seem like such a bad place to escape to. She could survive. Not by herself, of course. There was one person- if he could be called a person- that would be more than willing to help her… for a price.

But dealing with the impish man that was Rumplestiltskin was dangerous. Persephone was well aware of that. Any deal struck with him was like making a deal with the devil himself. There were times in the past when Effie actually thought Rumplestiltskin to be the devil. That was absurd, but not implausible either.

"Leave me alone," Persephone ordered. She just wanted to be by herself to mourn. She just wanted to be left to her own devices for once.

Nathaniel wasn't so quick to do as his little sister told him. "I'm not leaving you here Effie. It's not safe out here to be by yourself." He reached out to place a hand on Effie's shoulder but she jerked away from his touch.

Getting a little too sick of the back-and-forth game they were playing, Nathaniel exhaled sharply. "Fine, I'll leave you alone. Be back home in half an hour." And Nathaniel then left.

Effie did as she was told and came back exactly half an hour later. What she saw those was horrible.

'""'''

Jamie felt her heart plummet and her stomach tighten as she remembered a certain detail that was most important. There was a continuous silence between her and Regina that felt like it lasted for hours but was really only seconds. Jamie's mind was racing. Thoughts swirled in her head. She could hardly remember what make-believe was and what reality was. Looking down at her hand, Jamie saw that it was subtly shaking.

"''"""

He was covered in blood, almost unrecognizable. But Effie knew it was him. She knew it was Nathaniel.

He had a huge gash in his neck, the crimson river still flowing from him. His shirt was ripped open, showing off his once perfectly sculpted chest. Welts marred Nathaniel's skin, making it all too clear that he had been whipped and beaten; making it all too clear that he had been murdered.

Persephone was upset, beyond so. Why did it have to be her to discover the horrid sight of her brother on the side of the road? Why did it have to be her to be abandoned by her family? Why was she the one to live?

As Effie's lower lip began to tremble slightly, one of Regina's knights passed by on patrol. His armor was covered in blood, fresh blood. The knight had blatantly just murdered someone. If one were to ask the knight if he had indeed committed murder, he would merely answer by saying he "taught someone a lesson." Being one of the Evil Queen's knights, he knew how to not feel emotion anymore.

Effie could feel the anger boiling in her heart. She just knew this knight on patrol had killed her brother. The teenager jumped slightly in surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" the knight demanded abrasively. Effie could feel his murderous glare on her.

Her hands balled into fists. "My brother, sir. My brother is dead."

"''''""""

Jamie abruptly stood up from her place at the bottom of the slide. "Nathaniel," she whispered, almost emotional. Her eyes locked with Regina's, hatred coursing through her veins.

Regina dared to take a step towards Jamie. "Your brother, right?"

Gravely, Jamie nodded. "Tha's righ'," she confirmed, slipping into a Cockney accent. "The brother tha's dead cos of one of your knights! 'E died cos o' you!"

Regina was taken aback. She stared at Jamie with an expression of confusion mixed with a bit of hurt. "I can honestly say Miss Todd that I don't know what you're talking about." She had known about Nathaniel's death, but truthfully hadn't a clue of the cause. "If you would just take the time to explain-"

"Why should I explain? For all I know, you could'a ordered the knigh' to kill 'im," Jamie accused.

This outright offended Regina. How dare Jamie accuse her of having Nathaniel- Cole?- killed! She, being Regina, had no reason to have had the young man executed. "Calm down, Jamie," Regina ordered in a very regal-like manner.

Jamie- being the tenacious teenager that she was- refused to listen. "No, I will bloody calm down! You ordered to 'ave me brother killed. I jus' know you did, you 'orrid bitch!"

Regina placed her hands firmly on Jamie's shoulders. "I did no such thing." She no longer sounded like a queen. She sounded like a mother speaking firmly with a child. In all technicalities, that was the current situation, though Jamie was not Regina's child.

"Oh," Jamie muttered, embarrassed. She looked down to the ground. "S'pose you won't be acceptin' an apology."

Regina took one hand off of one of Jamie's shoulders and gently lifted Jamie's chin, making the girl look at her. "An honest mistake," she declared. She, of course, meant that Jamie was forgiven and though Regina didn't outright say so, Jamie received the message clearly.

Jamie sighed quietly. "Dad's not getting out of jail anytime soon, is he?"

"No," Regina answered grimly. "Ben… Ben may never get out." She hated to say so, but both she and Jamie knew that Benjamin had no chance of not going to prison. It would be a life sentence if not a death sentence.

Surprisingly, Jamie Todd seemed very lax about all of this. "He'll be fine. He survived Devil's Island in Botany Bay; even managed to escape," she told Regina. "If he put his mind to it, he can escape prison again."

* * *

**A/N: So, I will be able to update more often now since I am home from camp and won't be doing anything else for the rest of the summer that would prevent me from writing and updating. I'm sad to say though that this story will be coming to a close soon. I hate to do it, but because season two isn't out yet, it will have to be done. Once the first episode of season two has aired, a sequel to this story will be posted XD**

**Any questions you have about this story concerning the characters will be answered in upcoming chapters.**


	26. Chapter 26

Just as expected, Benjamin was sent to prison.

Just as expected, it was a life sentence.

Just as expected, Jamie was staying with Regina and Henry.

Just as expected, Jamie refused to take her pills.

"No, I won't take them!"

Regina groaned, getting very fed up with this. In her hand, she held the orange pill bottle. "Please Jamie, you have to take them." She was trying ever so hard to keep herself well composed and was actually being rather successful. Regina was quickly getting worn out though and was on the brink of doing what Benjamin had told her and just shoving the pills down Jamie's throat.

"No way in hell am I going to take my pills! They're vile and repulsive. I refuse," Jamie said, crossing her arms and sitting down on the couch with a smug look on her face.

Henry, who was currently in the kitchen, was listening in and trying not to smile. It was just so funny to hear his mom dealing with someone as stubborn as Jamie. He continued to nibble on his apples with peanut butter.

"Watch your language, Little Miss," Regina reprimanded.

Jamie might've been angry with Regina for calling her "Little Miss," mainly because that name annoyed her and also because Ben used to call her that when he had been around… but Jamie was more focused on the fact that Regina was trying to make her take pills that she didn't want to take. "I am not taking the fucking pills!"

Regina could've slapped Jamie. She was getting just so fed up with the teenager.

Henry giggled loudly when he heard Jamie swear. His mother never swore like that around him and neither did Emma. For he could not see the scene taking place, Henry had to picture everything. He pictured Regina absolutely fuming and Jamie standing in front of her with her arms crossed defiantly being more obstinate than usual.

It was a stare down between Jamie and Regina, queen and commoner, teenager and adult. Jamie then began to think of this as some sort of battle. Who would win? Good- if there really was anyone good side in this particular "battle"- or evil- that being the pills-?

"Jamie, you _will _do as I say," Regina said firmly.

Jamie still refused to surrender. She would not lose! She was too proud for that. "No. I. Will. Not. You can't make me take those pills!" she affirmed loudly and clearly.

Regina gritted her teeth, feeling a headache coming on. Even Henry hadn't been this difficult to take care of. Henry had been easy to please, easy to love. Being so fed up with all of this, Regina went into what could be considered autopilot. Her filter shut down and words just spilled out of her mouth. It was totally out of her control.

"Do _not _speak to me in that way, Little Miss. I am your mother and you will do what I tell you!"

Regina, Jamie, and even Henry froze the next second. It had been a slip of the tongue was all. Regina knew this and Henry knew this. Henry was positive it was a slip of the tongue for he had read the fairytale book hundreds of times and it never once mentioned the Evil Queen having a daughter of any sort (or a son for that matter.)

Jamie glared at Regina murderously. She wanted nothing more than to just wrap her hands around Regina's neck and press her thumbs down on Regina's windpipe. Instead, Jamie shook her head subtly a few times slowly, fighting back the urge to cry and scream and kick and shout.

(_I understand it was a slip of the tongue. You're still a bitch _though_, Regina._)

Without a word, Jamie turned on her heels and stormed up to the guestroom, making sure the door slammed shut loudly behind her.

Eyes closed and groaning softly, Regina knew she really messed up that time. She trudged into the kitchen. Regina no longer saw the point in trying to keep herself so well composed; no one else but Jamie and Henry were around and her façade had already been blown when the shouting match between her and Jamie had begun twenty minutes prior.

Henry watched as Regina grabbed a mug from the cabinet and started making herself some coffee in silence.

"I messed up, didn't I?" Regina asked Henry quietly.

The boy nodded a few times, chewing on a bit of apple with peanut butter.

"''"'''""

You have no idea how much I hate you right now, Archie. I hate you so, so much and you didn't even do a goddamn thing! I just hate the world right now. The world could go die in a hole for all I care now.

Regina is not my mother and never will be! It may have just been a slip of the tongue, but it happened all the same. I'm so pissed!

You know, I don't think I have anything else to write about. My little angry rant is kind of over, so… goodbye for now I suppose.

"''''''

Dear Dad,

Okay, so I decided to actually keep in touch with you. No way am I going to prison to speak with you through a phone on the other side of a glass window. That's just not cool.

You're an idiot, I hope you know that. I mean, seriously? You're not Sweeney Todd anymore, you're Benjamin Todd: a totally different, new person!

Will it surprise you if I say that I'm bored as hell? I really wish you enrolled me for school. It sucks. I'm stuck at Regina's house with nothing to do while she's at work and Henry's having fun with his friends at school.

I really hate you right now.

Love Jamie!

""'"""'  
Jamie, satisfied with her letter that she had composed, set it aside and laid back against the pillows of the guest bed. She was really starting to loathe the situation she was currently in.

(_I'm so freakin' bored!_)

There came a faint knocking on the door. Jamie automatically knew who it was. She didn't say anything and apparently didn't need to. Regina opened the door and stepped into the room without permission. It was her home; she didn't need permission especially from a brat like Jamie.

Jamie remained on the bed, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes on Regina. She was in no mood to speak to the woman. Couldn't risk hearing any more "slips of the tongue," could she? "What do you want?"

Regina tried not to smirk for the situation was supposed to be serious. "I suppose you won't be accepting an apology?"

Though she tried hard not to, Jamie grinned faintly, recalling that she had said (almost) the exact same thing to Regina a week before at the playground.

It was all so strange to remember everything. In a way, Jamie didn't like it. She didn't like remembering finding her brother dead on the road or coming across her home burning to ash with both of her parents inside, trapped. She didn't like it one bit.

"Can I forget again?" Jamie asked sullenly.

Regina didn't need Jamie to clarify what she meant. The meaning was all too apparent thanks to the fact that Jamie was gently caressing the silver locket. Quietly, Regina sighed. "I'm afraid not. There is no magic here."

The sadness in Jamie's eyes grew; the teenager's heart a heavy one. "That's what I was afraid of," she murmured. She didn't like being Persephone. Along with a changed identity, Jamie felt that her personality changed as well. Effie had been a mere child who depended on others no matter how much she denied it. Jamie felt that she had matured, had become more like how teenagers were supposed to be: stubborn, independent, but still rather loveable at times. Persephone Lindelle had died when the Curse took place. It was Todd now, Jamie Todd and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Becoming a little too lost in her thoughts, Jamie didn't notice that Regina had gently taken her hand until she was on her feet. Jamie allowed herself to be led to the mirror. There, Regina took the locket out of Jamie's hand and clasped it around the teen's neck. "Do you remember when I gave this to you?"

Slowly, Jamie nodded. "Yes, I do. It was that day when you invited me over to the castle for tea. I remember… being nervous, but feeling privileged. Mother was very upset that day; she hardly said a word when I returned. Father was proud to say the least bit. He kept asking me what the castle looked like." Jamie looked at the mirror to see Regina's reflection behind her own. "Do you know why that is?"

"Yes," Regina expressed honestly. "Your father used to be one of my knights when I was married to the king. He was a very brave man, not easily scared and willing to do most anything I asked him." Regina's tone then turned a bit sad.

Jamie noticed Regina's saddened expression and had a sudden, slightly worrying thought. "You're not my real mother, right?" she asked, realizing that the question sounded a bit rude.

Regina laughed quietly and a bit bitterly. "No, I'm not. I was… jealous of Charity, you might say. Victor Lindelle had been a close friend of mine. When the king was alive and I had married him, he wasn't around very much. Victor kept me company during those times."

"And Charity stole him away from you," Jamie finished for Regina.

"That was what it felt like," Regina confirmed. "Victor continued being a knight for me and the king, even after he had married Charity. Not too long after Leopold died, and I became the sole ruler, you came along. That was when Victor officially left." In retrospect, it was really Persephone's fault that Victor had left.

Jamie still had hundreds of questions. "Why take such an interest in me? You showed me kindness, and even taught me to like my name. Why?"

For Regina, the answer was simple. "Because I didn't want you to turn out like Charity; she was not as kind as everyone made her out to be and we didn't need two Charitys running around, mind you."

Jamie considered this. She had never known Charity to be unkind. Then again, it was like how Regina said: Charity wasn't as kind as others made her out to be. Jamie deemed Regina's answer acceptable. "Okay, how about this: why did I spend my life in Florida? And why didn't I age since I, like, didn't live here? Was it some type of spell? Part of the Curse? Did you enchant the orphanage? Or was the entire town created like this one, like Storybrooke?" Jamie blabbered. She was still looking in the mirror at Regina's reflection behind her.

She saw Regina playfully rolling her eyes. Regina placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "One question at a time," she said with a faint laugh. "I couldn't risk having you remember- which I suppose didn't matter in the end. It was safest to have you so far away from Maine. The orphanage was created as part of the Curse. The people there never really existed. No one was supposed to discover it."

"And along came Ben and Nellie," Jamie said almost silently. She took a deep breath, keeping herself calm. Slowly, she turned around to properly face Regina. "And then along came you… again."

Leisurely, Regina nodded a few times. "Yes, exactly… and here we are now."

But where was "here" precisely?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I really am enjoying writing this story and I'm rather sad to have it end. It will go up to chapter 30, which takes place during the season finale. Like I said before, there will be a sequel when season two starts in September XD**

**Reviews are love!**


	27. Chapter 27

Dear Jamie,

Yes, I know I messed up yet you make it a point to keep reminding me. Stop. I get it. I don't need to be lectured by a fourteen year old.

-Benjamin Todd

"'"""'""

Jamie was a little heartbroken that the letter was so short and had hardly any emotion to it. At least she had put "Love Jamie" in her letter. This was just signed "Benjamin Todd."

(_Why put his full name? Is he really that upset with me? He didn't call me "Little Miss" though…_)

"Jamie, c'mon, the movie's gonna start without you!" Henry shouted from downstairs. With a sigh, Jamie set aside the laconic letter on the nightstand and left the guest bedroom.

She had made a decision to have a movie night since Henry hardly ever got those apparently, it was a Saturday, and this time, Regina was actually home. It was perfect and Jamie even had the perfect movie.

"We are not watching '_Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,'_" Regina said quickly as soon as she saw the DVD case.

"Why not?" both Henry and Jamie whined in unison. They had been looking forward to watching the film since Jamie had announced that they would be having a movie night that morning at breakfast. When Regina had left to go spend some time at work, Jamie had told Henry in confidence what movie they would be watching and not to let Regina know until the last minute.

Regina crossed her arms, showing that she would not let the kids win this battle. "It's not age appropriate for Henry. He's only ten years old and the movie is rated 'R.'"

"Ratings mean nothing!" Jamie retorted quickly. "Please, please, please, please, please…"

Regina rolled her eyes. She knew Jamie was just trying to be annoying on purpose to get what she wanted and it wasn't pleasant all the same. "Absolutely not."

With a dramatic sigh, Jamie hung her head. "Alright, then I guess there won't be a movie night after all. Sorry Henry."

Henry pouted slightly; his eyes widened a jot to make himself look extremely disappointed. "Don't we have any other movies?" he asked. It had all been a part of a plan that the two had. If Regina said "no" to the movie, then they show that there was simply nothing else to do.

Jamie shook her head. "Nope, no other movies."

This was getting old very fast. Regina decided to just give in, but only this once. "Fine, we'll watch it just this once," she said in defeat.

Jamie hurriedly put in the movie and pressed play. She took a spot on the couch between Henry and Regina, taking the bowl of popcorn off of the coffee table and resting in her lap so that it was accessible to all as they attended the tale of Sweeney Todd.

"'""''"'"""

It was late when the movie ended, around eleven-thirty to be precise. Obviously Jamie hadn't done time management well, but at least Henry stayed awake for the majority of the movie. And he missed the ending, which was just fine seeing as it was a little more violent than the rest of the movie.

"So, what'd ya think?" Jamie asked Regina with a subtle, cocky grin.

Regina didn't answer right away. She pursed her lips slightly in thought as if deliberating. "Not too bad… that Sweeney Todd character though… he looks very familiar…." She glanced over to Jamie, who suddenly seemed panicked. "I mean, simply give him a haircut, dye his hair completely black and dress him in modern clothes… he could be the spitting image of Benjamin." She smirked.

"You know," Jamie stated in a slightly hoarse whisper. "But… but how-?"

"When you talk to Henry, I suggest keeping your conversations a little more quiet," Regina said simply, leaning back against the couch cushion. She could've sworn she heard Jamie mutter: "damn it" to herself, but whether she actually did or not was of no importance.

Jamie, too, leaned back against the couch cushion, angling her neck so that she was looking at the ceiling. She felt a bit tired and the fact that Henry was sleeping besides her, looking so comfortable, wasn't helping. "I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said quietly, starting to stand up.

Slowly, Regina nodded. "Alright, goodnight." She glanced over to the sleeping figure that was Henry. He just looked so tranquil. Regina liked it when Henry was this calm when he slept. There were mentions of the Curse, no mentions of Good defeating Evil. There was just sleep.

"'Night!" And Jamie went up to the guestroom.

"''"""'

Despite her once tired state, sleep did not come easily. Jamie wished it was because she had something on her mind. But no, she just wasn't tired anymore. Perhaps she was just too tired to even be tired anymore, if that made any sense. Jamie kicked off the duvet and began to pace. Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

She paced for an hour. Still, no sense of tiredness dared to approach her. Jamie huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed with crossed arms, enshrouded in darkness. Jamie had not a thing to read, not a thing to do. This was quite troublesome to the teen. With nothing to do, she was left to think about Benjamin.

Jamie was angry with Benjamin. Why hadn't he escaped prison yet? Why hadn't he come back to be her father again? Jamie knew she couldn't blame Benjamin for not escaping yet. Security was different compared to how it had been in Botany Bay, Australia in the 1800s.

Jamie froze when she heard footsteps outside her door. There was no hall light turned on so no shadow was visible. She could've sworn she heard someone walking down the stairs and Jamie decided to follow suit, curious to see who else was awake at this hour.

With silent footsteps, Jamie snuck out of the room and followed an indistinguishable figure- whoever they were- downstairs into the kitchen. When Jamie stepped onto the cool tile, she flicked on the light switch, revealing…

"What are you doing up?" both Jamie and Regina asked each other in unison.

Jamie crossed her arms. "I asked you first," she declared. She noted that Regina was dressed in grey silk pajamas. Big shocker there.

Regina narrowed her eyes on Jamie. "Just answer the question, Miss Todd," she said sternly and Jamie was instantly reminded of the Evil Queen.

Shrugging, Jamie answered, "Couldn't sleep. You?"

Regina shook her head, sighing quietly. "No, I couldn't sleep either." She walked over to the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of a drink both she and Jamie were very familiar with: homemade apple cider.

Jamie smiled when she watched Regina take out two mugs from the cabinet and fill both with the cider. About three minutes later, Jamie was handed a steaming mug of warm apple cider while Regina sipped her own. The teenager couldn't help but love the warm, nostalgic feeling that drinking the acrid yet sweet cider gave her as she felt it burning down her throat.

The two were silent. It was a silence that was awkward but welcomed. Things had been slightly ill at ease between them ever since Jamie had regained her memory. Persephone hadn't been completely clueless about the Queen's brutality and Jamie had been well aware of it before she remembered her past thanks to Henry's fairytale book.

Very quietly, Jamie began to hum to herself. It was a tune to the lullaby Nellie had sung to her when Jamie had first been adopted and couldn't get to sleep.

"What is that you're humming?" Regina queried, setting down the mug of cider.

Jamie felt herself blush faintly as she looked down at the counter intently. "Just a song that Mum used to sing to me whenever I had trouble sleeping." There was a pause before Jamie decided to add lyrics to the humming.

"_Nothing's gonna harm you_

_Not while I'm around._

_Nothing's gonna harm you, darling_

_Not while I'm around._

_Demons will charm you with a smile_

_For a while_

_But in time_

_Nothing's gonna harm you_

_Not while I'm around_."

Regina smiled faintly as Jamie sang the lullaby softly. "It's a beautiful song," she commented before taking another sip of cider, recalling it from the movie that they had just watched.

"Yeah," Jamie agreed. "I don't know what it is, but something about it just makes me feel so…"

"Safe," Regina finished for Jamie.

The teen nodded. "Exactly."

* * *

**A/N: Only three more chapters to go after this! I've decided that this will be a series that will (hopefully) continue with every season of Once Upon a Time with a few minor changes because of Jamie and Benjamin. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT, unfortunately :/ I would love to own OUaT! But I don't... damn.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I am almost heartbroken to bring us closer to the end of this story. I highly doubt that I'm going to publish anything more once this is done. If I do, it'll most likely be drabbles, one-shots, and songfics. Anything but multi-chapter stories. Sorry if that sounds disappointing :/ I just need a little break. This story was so much fun to write though and it came so easy to me, unlike anything I've written for a long time :D**

**I saw the promo for season two! Oh My Rumplestiltskin I am excited! XD **

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT. If I did, the season wouldn't have ended.**

* * *

"So Jamie, how are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Anything you'd like to talk about?"

"Nice weather we're having."

Archie frowned, not getting the response he was really looking for. But he just went along with it for now, seeing as that might be best. "Yes, nice weather… anything else you would like to talk about?"

"Did you know that the crabapple is the only apple native to North America?" Jamie asked on a whim. What she was really doing though, was avoiding talking about her feelings and about Benjamin and living with Regina. She didn't want to talk about that.

She saw Archie jot something down on his notepad. "That's uh… that's very interesting, I did not know that." This couldn't keep going on though. He couldn't keep allowing Jamie to get off topic. They had spent a good forty minutes of the session in complete silence, the teenager refusing to say anything, and now that she was talking, it wasn't about anything that he could use to help her. "Jamie, I'd like to-"

But Jamie cut him off. "Did you know that according to suicide statistics, Monday is the favored day for self destruction?"

Now this had Archie a little worried. He was worried that Jamie brought up that little suicide fact, especially considering that it was indeed Monday. Rapidly, he transcribed another thought down on the pad of paper, Jamie watching with little to no interest. She was stalling so they wouldn't have to talk about anything during this particular session.

(_Why though, Jamie? Scared of facing the truth aren't you? The truth that says you hate Benjamin currently and actually like staying with Regina and Henry?_)

Jamie subtly shook her head, Archibald not noticing as he finished scrawling down one last note before looking up from the paper to meet Jamie's eyes. The teen remained emotionless, determined not to give anything away.

(_Just admit it to him, Jamie. Just admit to Archie that you're afraid of what's going to happen to you. But can you bring yourself to admit the one thing you know is true? Can you bring yourself to admit that you look to Regina as, dare you even think it, a mother?_)

There was a knock on the door. Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Gold let his presence be known. "Sorry for interrupting," he said, not truly meaning the apology.

"Mr. Gold," Archie said a bit nervously. "The rent's not due yet."

Mr. Gold looked a bit annoyed at that remark. "I'm not here for the rent," he stated. Mumbling to himself, he added, "Why does everyone think that?"

Archibald nudged his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Well, what can I help you with?"

Wasting no time at all, looking directly at Jamie, Mr. Gold said, "I'm here to pick up Miss Todd and bring her back home."

Jamie's glare clearly said "I don't believe you" but Jamie stayed silent. And when Mr. Gold said, "Come along, Miss Todd," she even obeyed; anything to leave the therapist's couch. Jamie bid Archie an almost incoherent goodbye, leading the way out of the building, Mr. Gold following her with a smirk.

Once a few yards away from the building, Jamie stopped abruptly in her brisk walk and faced Mr. Gold, arms crossed. "What is it that you want?"

"Come now, Miss Todd, I hardly see any need for such a harsh tone; just wanted to talk since we are… acquaintances." There was something about the glint in Mr. Gold's eyes that told Jamie that wasn't what he really wanted.

After a minute or two of thinking, the answer came to Jamie. "You remember, don't you?" Mr. Gold nodded curtly. "And you know that I remember too." Again, Mr. Gold nodded. "But… but how?"

Mr. Gold chuckled. "You make it only too obvious, Miss Lindelle." He noticed Jamie balling her hands into fists.

"It's Todd, Jamie Todd," Jamie corrected. The life of Persephone Lindelle was long gone. In a way, Persephone Lindelle had died, Jamie Todd taking her stead. Thinking back, Persephone had died when Nathaniel had died.

"'""''""

Persephone knelt at the grave of her brother, right beside the graves of her parents. If only she had listened to Nathaniel. If only she had come home when he had told her to. Perhaps he would be alive still. Perhaps they would be dead together. Either way, at least she wouldn't be alone.

(_Remorse will get you nowhere, Effie. You just have to move on and fend for yourself. Work around the house, do what Mother did, work like Father did. Make a living._)

Effie felt a disturbance in the atmosphere though. It was strange, as if something heavy set in the air. Looking around, Effie saw nothing out of the ordinary. Everything looked peaceful.

She felt a chill go down her spine. Something had happened, something not good. Persephone could just tell. Persephone stood up, brushing the dirt off of her dress. The wind began to pick up and on instinct, Effie made a run for it. She ran and ran until she found herself on the Queen's road. Still, she didn't feel safe.

Now panting, Effie looked both ways down the Queen's road.

No one.

She was utterly alone.

The wind was howling now and Effie began to run again. She heard the faint sound of the carriage behind her and she turned around just in time to see the familiar midnight black carriage. Effie dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit. She quickly got to her feet, not bothering to dust off her clothes again. She was far too distracted.

Not too far off in the distance was a threat looming in the sky: a dark cloud that screamed out danger. Effie did not know what it was and never really found out. She ducked and covered her head with her arms when the Curse enshrouded her, consuming her and sending her to a new life.

"''""""'""

Jamie didn't realize that her eyes were slightly wide as she remembered exactly what happened when the Curse took place. Even then she had been all alone. Just like now.

No, she wasn't alone now. She had Henry, her best friend in Storybrooke. She had Regina, the woman who actually bothered to take care of her when Nellie was killed and Benjamin was sent to jail and then prison.

"Something distracting you, Miss Todd?" Mr. Gold placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder, feigning concern. He knew though. He knew that she was remembering exactly what happened when she was given her new life.

Subtly, Jamie nodded a few times. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," she managed to say. She snapped out of her slightly dazed state and grinned at Mr. Gold. "So, you gonna take me home or what?"

Mr. Gold began walking in the direction of Regina's house as a response. It wasn't hard for Jamie to catch up. There was an awkward silence between the two, in which Jamie decided to start conversation. "We never met in the other realm."

She noticed that Mr. Gold's grip tightened on his cane at the mention of the other realm. "This is true, Miss Todd." Mr. Gold's tone told Jamie that he wasn't exactly interested in wherever this conversation was going. But Jamie continued on.

"You were Rumplestiltskin, making deals with almost everyone, but oddly enough we never met."

Mr. Gold stopped short. "Miss Todd, I believe it'll be in both our best interest to stop this talking of the past."

Jamie shrugged. "Suit yourself. But why not talk about the past?"

"Because, Miss Todd, I have plans of for the future."

Confused by what Mr. Gold meant, Jamie stopped her talking to ponder this. His words didn't make much sense to her though. Plans for the future? What type of plans? "Well, why did you come get me from my session?" she asked, changing the subject.

Little did Jamie know, her question wasn't exactly off topic. Mr. Gold began walking again, Jamie trailing by his side. "To tell you to stay out of the way, Miss Todd. Think you can do that?"

Jamie nodded. "Sure." Still utterly confused by all that Mr. Gold had said, she remained silent the rest of the walk back to Regina's.


	29. Chapter 29

There had been only two of them, just Regina and Henry at the dinner table. Regina didn't wonder where Jamie was. There was the faint sound of music drifting down to them from upstairs, so Regina merely figured that Jamie was listening to her iPod in her temporary- or perhaps permanent- room.

_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said I'll never let you go_

Then the doorbell rang. She frowned slightly, wondering who it could be. "I don't recall us expecting any company," she stated, slowly standing up and going to the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie at the top of the stairs looking grim.

_When all those shadows_

_Almost killed your light_

Ignoring Jamie for now, Regina opened the door to reveal none other than Emma Swan. "Sheriff Swan," Regina said with blatant dislike. "What are you doing here?"

"Henry invited me," Emma announced with a stony expression. She hardly seemed like herself.

Regina could feel the hatred build up inside of her. "Do you honestly believe I'd allow you into my house, for dinner, after all the threats you made to my family?"

Slowly, Jamie had descended the stairs. Neither adult noticed the slight bulge in her right front pocket: the chaste silver straight razor.

_I remember you said_

"_Don't leave me here alone"_

"I didn't come for dinner," Emma plainly stated.

This left Regina slightly confused. "Then what did you come for?" the mayor dared to ask.

The answer she had received made Regina feel even more confused and a bit scared. Regina could feel her heart begin to pound in slight fear when Emma said: "You."

When Regina turned, Henry was gone and so was Jamie. Beginning to panic, Regina looked back to Emma and found that other Storybrooke residents were now with her. Along with them was Jamie, looking murderous and was even blood soaked, the straight razor dripping with what Ben like to call "precious rubies."

_But all that's dead and gone and passed_

_Tonight_

"We all did."

Henry was at the top of the stairs when Regina looked back, rope slung over his shoulder. Not good.

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

They had tied her to a tree. And not just any tree, her apple tree. It wasn't beautiful anymore though. It was festering and dying. Despite Regina's protests to release her immediately, the rope was just tied tighter.

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

"Tighter!" Granny shouted. "She needs to feel our pain!"

Mary Margaret's- more of Snow White now- eyes were filled with tears of anguish as she clutched David's- James'?- hand tightly. "You took our love and ripped it apart."

Her true love beside her added on with anger, "And now you're gonna pay!"

Jamie pushed past some people, still covered in blood but somehow managing to look like an innocent child. An innocent child that merely had an accident. Her eyes widened when she saw Regina, as if the moment at the front door never happened. "Regina," she breathed in disbelief. A random townsperson tried to grab Jamie's arm and bring her back, but Jamie wasn't going down without a fight. She whipped out the razor and sliced the man's throat, showing no mercy. He dropped down to the ground, the life seeping out from the wound in his neck.

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

Emma stepped forward and plucked a pitch black apple from the apple tree. She easily squished it in her hand, the content oozing between her fingers. "Rotten to the core." She tossed aside the remains of the apple.

_Don't you dare look out your window_

_Darling, everything's on fire_

"Regina!" Jamie shouted in desperation as Red and Granny tried holding her back. "Let me go! Regina, no!" Her shouts were of no use, only got her into more trouble. Emma turned to face Jamie. The blonde took out her gun and without hesitation, shot Jamie in the heart. The teenager immediately dropped to the ground… dead.

_The war outside our door_

_Keeps raging on_

Regina's breathing became heavy, her heartbeat erratic. "I just wanted to win, for once," she managed to choke out. The fear in her eyes was hard to miss along with the tears.

_Hold on to this lullaby_

_Even when music's gone_

_Gone_

Emma showed no remorse. "You took away our happiness and now it's our time to take away yours," she spat, hand around Regina's neck. She stepped back to get the sword that would take Regina's life.

"Henry, don't let them do this to me," Regina begged.

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

The boy, who had once been so innocent and whom she had loved dearly for ten years, looked as if he could be the spawn of the devil. "You did this to yourself." Henry stepped aside, allowing Emma to step forth.

Without any hesitations or any thoughts of regrets, Emma strode right up to Regina, raised the sword and let the weapon come down.

_Just close your eyes_

_You'll be alright_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

"''""'

Regina bolted upright, breathing heavily, her heart pounding so fast Regina thought it might stop. A dream, it had only been a dream. No, not a dream; a nightmare. Hurriedly, Regina pushed back the duvet and went to Henry's room.

There he was, sleeping peacefully in his bed. Or so Regina thought. No, contrariwise Henry was wide awake in the passenger seat of Emma's car, the two of them escaping Storybrooke. Regina stepped away from Henry's doorframe and went to check on Jamie.

Instead of sleeping like how Regina had hoped, the teenager was sitting on the edge of the bed. Jamie's eyes burned slightly, her hands shaky. She had been crying. Silently, of course, but she had been nonetheless. "Jamie," Regina said softly, stepping over to Jamie and placing a gentle hand on the teenager's shoulder.

Jamie looked over to Regina in surprise and quickly wiped her eyes, not that it would do any good. "Juh- 'Gina, what are doing here?"

Regina smirked. "Well, it is my house. I do live here." She sat down on the edge of the bed beside Jamie and removed her hand from the teen's shoulder to instead place an arm around both shoulders. "Couldn't sleep, could you?"

Sniffling quietly, Jamie shook her head. "Neither could you?"

(_No duh, Jamie. Way to ask the obvious_.)

"No, I couldn't," Regina confessed, staring absentmindedly at the mirror that hung on the wall across from the bed. It seemed to mock her. Regina looked away. She turned her attention to Jamie, whose lower lip quivered.

Jamie felt as if she was going to cry again. She didn't want to, not in front of Regina. But the thoughts of how even without the Curse, her happiness had been taken away seemed to consume her. Jamie pulled away from Regina, standing up and beginning to pace, hugging herself.

After a few seconds of watching this, Regina stood up and obstructed Jamie's pacing path. Jamie glared at Regina. She hated being interrupted when pacing. Pacing helped keep her calm and standing in her way most certainly did not keep her calm.

Then the unexpected- yet at the same time expected- thing happened. Regina pulled Jamie into a hug, loose at first but then Jamie brought her arms around Regina as well.

"I miss him so much," Jamie admitted quietly.

It didn't take a Harvard graduate to know that by "him" Jamie meant Benjamin. "H-he was the only family I had left in this world." That was only partially true. She still had her aunt, uncle, and cousins. But they were in London. Jamie had no one left here.

"I know," Regina whispered understandingly, still holding Jamie in a hug. These were rare moments when Regina showed so much kindness towards anyone other than Henry. "Come on; let's get you back to bed."

"'''""''""

"So tell me again who this guy is," Jamie said as she and Henry waited outside the door of one of the rooms at Granny's Bed and Breakfast.

Henry knocked on the door frantically once more. "His name is August Booth and he's going to help us with getting Emma to believe so the Curse can break."

The door opened with a creek, revealing August Booth.

"August please, we need your help," Henry said frantically. August glanced over to Jamie, briefly wondering who she was but not saying anything about his thoughts. "Emma wants to leave," Henry continued as he walked into the room. Jamie followed, feeling a little confused. Henry hadn't told her why they were here to see August.

These words worried August. If Emma left, then there was no chance of the Curse being broken. "What? Slow down."

"You were going to make her believe," Henry reminded August. "You have to."

August sighed. "I know, Henry." He looked over to Jamie again. "August Booth," he introduced. Jamie shook his hand, saying, "Jamie Todd." August turned back to Henry. "I… I'm sorry. I failed."

Jamie huffed, crossing her arms. "Bloody brilliant," she murmured sarcastically. "So what, now the Curse will never be broken?"

Shaking his head, August insisted, "I tried to show her. First it was my legs. And now… now take a look at the unvarnished truth." He lowered his sleeve to reveal the now wooden arm.

"So you're Pinocchio," Jamie breathed. She never doubted that Booth was a fairytale character; she just didn't know he was Pinocchio.

With a heavy heart, August nodded. "What gave it away?"

Henry stared at August's arm, mesmerized. "It's wood," he stated, trying to hide his excitement since this was meant to be a serious moment.

"Well no shit, Sherlock," Jamie said. "You were right about the Curse. But how did Emma not believe if she saw that you were made of wood? Doesn't it make it kind of obvious?"

August chuckled. It was a bitter, hollow chuckle with no sincerity. "She's blind to it," he explained. "She only sees what she wants to."

As Jamie saw it, all hope of the Curse breaking was pointless if Emma wouldn't do a damn thing about it.

"But why are you turning back to wood?" Henry asked, concerned. "Your story… you should be real!"

With a weak, meaningless smile, August answered, "I'm changing back because I haven't exactly been a good boy."

The story was sad and pathetic. Jamie didn't know if she wanted to hear anymore. It was obvious that they were doomed to forever be trapped in Storybrooke, Maine. _Thanks Regina, it's all your fault_, Jamie thought bitterly.

August continued, "It's hard to ride, it's hard to walk. Soon it's going to be hard to breathe."

Henry was tenacious though. "So we'll just have to do something fast."

"There's nothing we can do," Jamie interrupted. "Can't you see that Henry? It's done, I'm done." Jamie walked out of the room. She didn't want to battle. Henry wanted to bring Regina down. Couldn't they just leave it alone? What harm was being done anyway?

In truth, it was more than just not wanting to battle, Jamie didn't want to go against Regina. Sure, the two never got along very well in the first place, but there was no denying that there was some sort of relationship between them. They had their moments.

Jamie went back to the mansion and spent the rest of the day in her room. She heard Regina come home but didn't come downstairs. There was a time when she heard Emma's voice and was about to go downstairs to see what was going on, but she decided against it. Only when Emma left did Jamie decide to leave the bedroom.

Regina was in the kitchen, sipping a small glass of apple cider as she smirked triumphantly. All was going according to plan. Jamie cleared her throat to make her presence known. Regina whirled around to face Jamie. "Jamie, I didn't realize you were home."

Jamie didn't miss the fact that Regina said "home." Jamie would have to disagree though. This wasn't home. "Yeah, I was upstairs in the guestroom the whole time. What did Emma want?"

"I don't believe that's something you should concern yourself with," Regina answered plainly, setting aside her glass of cider. Seeing Jamie's gaze turned cold, Regina eased up on her tone. "Tomorrow, I have an errand to run. Care to come with?"

Jamie shrugged idly. "Sure, why not?"

""'''"""'''"

Regina walked into Gold's shop the next day, Jamie trailing behind. "I hope you bought travel insurance," the older woman said as she strode up to Mr. Gold at the counter, "because no one's going anywhere."

"Oh really?" Mr. Gold asked in disinterest. "And why's that?" He glanced up from his work to see Jamie standing a few feet behind Regina. He acknowledged her with a curt nod, but that was all.

"Because I found a solution to my Emma Swan problem," Regina declared proudly.

This was news to Jamie. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa, hold up. What?"

Regina and Gold just ignored Jamie though. "An old, reliable solution," Regina continued.

This caught Mr. Gold's interest. He stopped what he was doing and looked up. "A sleeping curse," he stated. Regina's smile was a proud one. "Might I ask how you managed to obtain one here in Storybrooke?"

"By sacrificing the last bit of magic I had left."

Jamie cut in. "Uh, excuse me, but first off: since when was there magic here? And second of all: sleeping curse? What the hell Regina?"

Regina narrowed her eyes on Jamie. "I brought you here so I wouldn't have to explain things twice, not for you to comment Miss Todd."

Mr. Gold was starting to lose interest again. He rolled his eyes, not in the mood to listen to the two females bicker. "That's all very well Regina, but it seems I need to remind you that all magic comes with a price.

"Then you can pay it," Regina answered darkly. "Because now, the Curse is going to be stronger than ever and you will be right here where you belong."

Mr. Gold walked away from Regina to the other side of the shop to handle other things, other things that were more interesting than this.

"What about Ben, 'Gina?" Jamie suddenly said. "If the Curse is stronger than ever, what are the chances that he can come back here? What are the chances that he _will_ come back here?" Jamie was more than sure that she could convince Benjamin that the Curse was real. He may not have believed Nellie, but he would believe his daughter for sure, right?

Regina faced Jamie and placed her hand firmly on Jamie's shoulder. "Don't you understand?" she said softly, almost kindly. "I won."

Jamie took Regina's hand off of her shoulder. "You're insane."

With a sigh, Regina turned away from Jamie and looked back to Mr. Gold. "Whatever plan you had, whatever reason you wanted the Curse broken? Too bad, because it's never going to happen."

Regina started to leave the shop, but Jamie didn't follow. Her eyes were still wide with worry and a bit of fright. "She's bloody mental!" the teen breathed.

"Jamie, let's go!" Regina commanded as she stepped out the door. Jamie saw no choice but to follow, though she really didn't want to.

During all of this time, Emma Swan had returned to the home she shared with Mary Margaret, the apple turnover sitting on a plate on the counter and Henry had come over to try and convince Emma that the Curse was real.

As soon as Regina got into the driver's seat of her car and buckled her seatbelt- Jamie following suit on the passenger's side- the mayor's cell phone rang.

It was the hospital.

* * *

**A/N: One more chapter after this! I'm really sad to have finished this story. I had such a wonderful time writing it! I have a feeling though that the sequel will be even better because of season two of ouat! I'm soooo excited!**

**Anyway, thanks for the lovely reviews! I never expected this story to be so popular XD**

**I created an ouat roleplay for anyone who is interested XD It's called Once Upon a Roleplay so if you feel like joining, feel free **


	30. Chapter 30

Jamie was pacing anxiously in the waiting room of the hospital. She hadn't been told much. When she asked Regina what the hell was going on, the mayor had only said that it was Henry. Jamie didn't know what it was about Henry, but apparently something happened and it was bad enough for him to end up at the hospital.

The teen was worried. No, that was an understatement. She was beyond worried. So far beyond worried that there was no way to describe how she was feeling. Jamie didn't even notice that she was hugging herself. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the crash when Emma shoved Regina into one of the supply closets.

_Green finch and linnet bird_

_Nightingale, blackbird_

_How is it you sing?_

Jamie clutched her locket tightly. Everything that was happening lately, it seemed to be nothing but bad events. She really wished Benjamin were there to comfort her. No, correction: she wished Nellie were there. Nellie had been the only motherly figure to her in this world.

(_And what about Regina? Have I already forgotten about what she has done for me?_)

(_She's not a motherly figure. It doesn't matter if she brought comfort when you couldn't sleep. You know that Jamie. She is _not _your mother, she said so herself_.)

_How can you jubilate_

_Sitting in cages_

_Never taking wing?_

The waiting room was empty. It would have struck Jamie as odd if it weren't for her being so distracted. She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

_Outside the sky waits_

_Beckoning, beckoning_

_Just beyond the bars_

Benjamin had done nothing the entire day but stare out the window of his cell. His face was emotionless, but in his heart he yearned to be with Jamie, Regina, and even Henry. He hadn't gotten to know the lad very well despite all of the times they spent quality time together while Jamie spent time with Regina. Benjamin knew he liked Henry better than his nephew, Toby, though so that was a good thing.

He wanted to apologize. Not for killing Nellie. No, he wasn't sorry for doing that. He wanted to apologize for hurting everyone else. He hurt Jamie, he had hurt Regina, and it pained him. Benjamin closed his eyes as he remembered the date when both he and Regina confessed their love for each other at the same time.

"I love you," Ben whispered quietly to himself, thinking maybe, just maybe, Regina and Jamie could hear him.

_How can you remain _

_Staring at the rain_

_Maddened by the stars?_

Jamie thought she was going to go insane from all of this. If one more thing happened, she would crack for sure! There was only so much she could handle. Her parents' death, her brother's death, Nellie's death, Ben being sent to jail and now Henry in the hospital; one more thing and it might just break Jamie.

_How is it you sing anything?_

_How is it you sing?_

_Green finch and linnet bird_

_Nightingale, blackbird_

_How is it you sing?_

Emma never felt helplessness as drastic as this. And now, she had to work with the one woman who she hated more than ever now, Regina Mills, in order to save her… their… son.

_Whence comes this melody constantly flowing_

_Is it rejoicing or merely hallooing? _

_Are you discussing_

_Or fussing_

_Or simply dreaming?_

This was certainly a nightmare. Regina was sure of it. She would wake up in just a few minutes, like the night before. She would wake up, go check on Henry to make sure he was still sleeping and then check on Jamie to find her awake and they would talk, there would be exchanges of comfort, and then they would go back to bed, end of story.

She didn't wake up from the nightmare.

_Are you crowing?_

_Are you screaming?_

_Ringdove and robinet _

_Is it for wages_

_Singing to be sold?_

Benjamin had stopped staring out the window and was now pacing. These had been his only actions the whole time he was in prison. He no longer slept, only stared and paced and occasionally ate. It was like old times when he was Sweeney Todd. Pace, stare, occasionally eat. Pace, stare, occasionally eat. Pace, stare, occasionally eat.

_Have you decided it's_

_Safer in cages_

_Singing when you're told?_

"Jamie." Regina's sudden voice made Jamie snap out of her thoughts. The mayor stood in front of the teen and placed her hands firmly on Jamie's shoulders. "There's something I must do and I don't know how long I'll be gone. Do me a favor and stay here. Do _not_ leave this hospital. Understand?"

Jamie nodded a few times. "Yes," she answered laconically.

Could it have been an illusion? No, it was real. The faintest flicker of a smile graced Regina's features. "Good," Regina said quietly. She kissed Jamie's forehead and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving to go meet Emma Swan. Jamie knew naught of the danger Emma Swan would face._  
_  
_My cage has many rooms_

_Damask and dark_

Jamie didn't know how long Regina and Emma had been gone. A glance out the window told her that they had been gone the whole night and still weren't back. Jamie wasn't tired in the least bit. In this way, she was like Sweeney. Pace, stare, occasionally eat and hardly sleep.

There had been a few other times she was like this. When she was first diagnosed with depression, these had been her actions. Pace, stare, occasionally eat and hardly sleep.

_Nothing there sings_

_Not even my lark_

Her name was Mary Margaret Blanchard. Jamie had seen her before, knew her to be Snow White. This woman, labeled as Regina's enemy, was talking to Jamie.

"How do you know Henry?" Jamie asked, just out of curiosity.

Mary (Snow) Margaret (White) smiled warmly. "I'm his teacher," she explained. "When I found out about what happened, I was devastated as I'm sure you were, too."

Slowly, Jamie nodded. "Yeah, I was. Henry was… my only friend here."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries- as pleasant as things could get during such a grim time- before Mary (Snow) Margaret (White) went to go see Henry. After a few minutes, Jamie followed and sat beside the hospital bed that Henry was lying in while the brunette teacher read fairytales.

_Larks never will, you know_

_When they're captive_

_Teach me to be more adaptive_

The sound of the beeping had scared the shit out of Jamie. Her eyes welled with tears and the doctors and nurses pushed her and Mary Margaret out of the way.

Henry

Henry was

Henry was dying.

_Green finch and linnet bird_

_Nightingale, blackbird_

Emma didn't know she could feel such sadness when she saw Henry's lifeless body. She wanted to help, wanted him to be alive. Her son, the one she had given up and had grown so attached to, was gone.

Regina was in tears as well as she stood beside Dr. Whale and Jamie. Henry had been the only thing Regina had loved in this world before Benjamin came along. Henry had been her _son, her son_! And now he was gone. There was nothing they could do. She buried her face in Dr. Whale's shirt as she wept.

Jamie was done with weeping. She had cried enough. It was now time to just learn to accept.

(_The history of the world is learn forgiveness and try to forget, isn't it?_)

There was no arguing with that.

It had only been a simple kiss. A simple kiss on his forehead and a whispered, "I love you." But that was enough to set off a chain of events. Henry's eyes opened and he smiled.

"I love you, too."

Regina could only stare in disbelief before she found words. "You… did it." That was it. The Curse was broken. Everyone remembered now. The only thing Regina could do now was just get out of there and fast, but not before a goodbye. She stepped next the hospital bed and bent over so that she was eye-to-eye with Henry.

_Teach me how to sing_

"Henry, no matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you, I _do_ love you." Regina wished there was more she could say. She wished that she could just go back to the time when Henry would say "I love you, too, Mom," to her and not that damned Emma Swan. It wasn't the time for wishing now. Now was the time for getting the hell out of there.

With a brisk pace, Regina hurried out of the hospital, not knowing that Jamie was right on her heels until the teen got into the passenger's seat of the car.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked, trying her very best to remain her poised self, though she wasn't doing a very good job.

Jamie wanted to say "Just shut up and drive" but figured that would get her into some serious trouble. "Did you honestly think I would just abandon you?" she said instead.

This left Regina puzzled. "Even after all that I've done?"

With crossed arms, Jamie gave Regina a look that plainly meant: Are you seriously asking me that? "'Gina, my dad's a murderer. I think I can handle being around an Evil Queen."

It was the perfect, sappy moment. But it couldn't last. Regina didn't respond and just sped home, the two of them in silence complete and utter silence the whole ride.

_If I cannot fly_

Regina had gone up to Henry's bedroom where she let her tears spill. Jamie could hear the faint sobs of the mayor from downstairs and after a few moments of this going on, there was silence. The hush made Jamie nervous. Had Regina done something? Praying to a god that she hardly believed in, Jamie hurried upstairs hoping that Regina didn't do anything drastic like kill herself.

Nothing of the sort had happened. Instead, Regina was standing in front of Henry's bedroom window, staring out of it as if something interesting was happening. And something interesting was happening.

"'Gina?" Jamie said softly, but it was as if Regina didn't hear her. So Jamie sauntered over to the mayor and stood beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw the thick, purple smoke coming closer and closer.

It was 8:15 am.

_Let me sing_

_***~Fin~***_

* * *

**A/n: There we have it: the last chapter of Maddened by the Stars! I had so much fun writing this story!**

**Thanks to mar, EvilQueenGina, JuneIsAMonth18, LaughingLadybug, Jupiter, lightmylumiere, Never Once, Miss Magenta Lestrange, Adriny, JamesT21, Kira, and MilliePrue-BellatrixLestrange for reviewing this story! **

**Keep an eye out for the sequel after September 30th: Six Feet Under the Stars**


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